5: The Tale of the Princess of the Crescent Moon
by rwparker
Summary: The story of Inuyasha and Kagome's daughter, from birth to adulthood. An epic journey of growth and discovery, tragedy and triumph. And, of course, at least a LITTLE fun along the way. She's definitely her father's daughter!
1. Birth

**The Tale of the Princess of the Crescent Moon**

* * *

Birth

* * *

"Inuyasha...it's time." 

"Keh. What's it 'time' for this time?"

Two months ago, Kagome had proclaimed that she was not going to have her baby in the feudal era, that they were going to remain in the modern era until well after the child was born, and that Inuyasha would under no circumstances be leaving her side to go gallivanting back to the past by himself.

Those two months had easily been the longest of Inuyasha's life. He sorely missed the daily excitement of adventures in his own era, and the day-to-day humdrum domesticity of an expectant family—dealing with a mother-to-be's backaches and cravings, endlessly rearranging the baby's room—drove him nearly mad with boredom. Mama and Souta had tried to find ways to keep him busy around the temple, but he always required careful supervision; if Inuyasha was left by himself for too long, he could quickly become disastrously over-enthusiastic.

Inuyasha soon proved himself useless at anything that required patience or self-control—but he surprised everyone with his talent for clearing overgrown brush, felling trees, and turning unwanted boulders into gravel. And since Inuyasha had been stuck in the modern era, the temple grounds had never looked better. The entire property had been cleared of centuries of unkempt growth, and the land behind the family residence (which had been too rough and rocky to landscape since Inuyasha's era) had been completely renovated, thanks to Inuyasha's superhuman earthmoving abilities and Souta and Mama's skills as gardeners. What was once a rough and overgrown hillside was now an exquisite private garden, lush, verdant, and redolent with sweet-smelling flowers. Kagome especially loved the new garden—she called it "Inuyasha's Glade," much to his annoyance—and she often rested there in a rocking chair that Mama had gotten for her, warming herself in the sun, singing softly to her unborn child.

But she was not singing or sunning herself today. "It's time, " Kagome repeated, leaning heavily on Inuyasha. "Inuyasha..." she said with an effort, "The baby...is coming."

Inuyasha was playing with the cat (the only thing in the modern era that managed to hold his interest for more than a few minutes at a time) and didn't even look up at her. "The baby's been 'coming' for most of this year," he said testily. "When's it going to get here, already?"

Kagome seized his shoulder with a vise-like grip. That got his attention; he spun towards her, and he saw that her brow was furrowed in pain, and her other hand was clutching her belly. "The baby's coming _now_," she said through clenched teeth. "If you don't want to deliver it yourself, right here, get me to the doctor—NOW."

Inuyasha stared at her dumbly for a moment; then, his eyes suddenly widened with understanding—and he sprang into action, faster than sight could follow. He scooped up Kagome and bounded away as fast as he could run, a red and white blur.

Souta and Mama were in the kitchen preparing lunch when they felt the wind of Inuyasha's passing. All they saw was a flash of red and white, and Kagome's bewildered expression as she was whisked away in his arms. Mama knew immediately what had happened, and she ran after them, calling "Inu-chan! Wait! You forgot Kagome's bag..." She called after them for a few moments, then she shrugged and laughed. "Oh dear," she said to Souta, "Your father was just like this when Kagome was born. No matter: we'll catch up to them at the hospital."

For several minutes, Inuyasha bounded through the city at high speed, leaping from building to building; then he stopped to sniff the air. Kagome had been resting her head on his chest with her eyes closed, taking comfort from the strength of his arms and the smell of his hair, but when he suddenly stopped she opened her eyes and looked around. They were on the top of one of the city's tallest buildings; the panorama was lovely, but it was not at all what she had been hoping to see.

"Inuyasha...where are we? Why did you stop here?" she asked.

He turned bright red. "Um...Kagome," he stuttered, "I... don't know... exactly where I'm supposed to take you."

"Inuyasha, you idiot." She smacked him in the chest and laughed, but then she grimaced and grabbed her belly again. When the pain passed, she looked about the city, then pointed. "There. That blue building with the white cross—that's the hospital. Take me there." She grimaced again; then closing her eyes, she rested her head on his chest and said through gritted teeth, "Quickly."

Inuyasha nodded and soared into the air, and when he landed he ran as he had never run before; and the wind roared in Kagome's ears as they rushed towards their destination.

* * *

At the hospital, Inuyasha burst through the main doors and thrust Kagome towards the first person he saw in a white coat. "You—help her!" he growled. Fortunately, Kagome was not the first pregnant woman, nor Inuyasha the first nervous father, that this doctor had ever seen. He very calmly settled Kagome into a wheelchair and assured Inuyasha that everything would be fine; then he wheeled Kagome away, leaving Inuyasha bewildered and alone in the reception area, with no idea what to do next. 

"This way, sir." A bored and bespectacled young man in a rumpled jacket approached Inuyasha. "Congratulations on your new family." The young man was not uncourteous, but he clearly wasn't fully awake, because he didn't notice Inuyasha's ears, hair, or sword. He led Inuyasha to his desk, then sat down behind the desk and began pecking at a computer terminal. "So, you're going to be a father," the young man said unenthusiastically. He yawned and clutched at his head. "Please forgive me. I was up, er, _working_, late last night," he said apologetically. "Now: your name?"

"Huh?" grunted Inuyasha. He had never been inside a hospital before; the riot of odors was making his head spin and his stomach churn, and all he could think about was Kagome.

"_Name_, sir," repeated the young man. He took off his glasses, rubbed his brow, fished some pills out of his pocket, and swallowed them, dry, with difficulty. "I'm never going out with those guys from Surgery again," he muttered to himself, "They're out of control." He continued tapping at the keyboard and said testily, "Now: what's your name?"

"Inuyasha," said Inuyasha, still not paying much attention to the young man, his ears twitching in search of Kagome's voice.

"Inu... Yasha," the man tapped into his computer. "OK, Mr. Yasha," said the young man absently, "and what's your wife's name?"

"Kagome," said Inuyasha, just as absently.

"Kagome... Yasha," said the young man as he pecked at his keyboard. "Now, Mr. Yasha, do you have any..."

But the young man never had a chance to finish his question; as he turned away from his computer, he was startled to find Inuyasha crouching on his desk, Inuyasha's face nose-to-nose with his. Inuyasha growled, "Where's Kagome?"

The man sputtered for a moment. He hadn't paid much attention to Inuyasha until that moment; but now he saw exactly who and what he was dealing with. Inuyasha's golden eyes were burning, narrowed with suspicion and fury; his ears were laid back, his fur was bristling, and his fangs glinted eerily in the hospital's artificial light. "Where's KAGOME?" Inuyasha snarled, and he grabbed the poor man by the lapels and lifted him high into the air.

The poor man raised a trembling hand and pointed towards the double doors that led into the hospital. With a growl, Inuyasha tossed him away impatiently and burst through the doors, calling, "Kagome! Kagome!" All heads in the waiting room turned at the shouting, but everyone quickly ran for cover at the sounds of breaking glass and screams of surprise and terror as Inuyasha ran headlong through the hospital's corridors, oblivious to everything but the search for his beloved.

* * *

"It won't be long now, Ms. Higurashi," the doctor said as he finished his exam and removed his gloves. "Everything looks fine, the baby's doing great, you're coming along extremely well, and you'll be ready for the final stretch in just a few minutes. So...Where's the father?" 

Kagome blinked a couple of times, then looked quizzically about the room. "I...don't know," she mused. She had expected that Inuyasha would just naturally be there by her side, and she didn't know what had happened to him. "I hope he's not lost... aaaaaaOOOWW!" She cried out in pain and clutched at the rails at the side of the bed.

"Kagome!" Kagome heard Inuyasha's voice, coming from somewhere within the depths of the hospital.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome called out to him. "I'm here, Inuyasha! I'm here!"

Suddenly, there was a loud "bang" and a rattle that shook the building. "Kagome!" Inuyasha's voice rang out, slightly closer this time; then there was another explosion and another, more violent shaking.

"Kagome!" came the shout again, much closer this time; then there was a cry of "Sankontessou!" Golden fire coursed down one wall of the delivery room, and the building shook furiously as the wall shattered with a deafening explosion. Into the room bounded Inuyasha, his demon aspect fully upon him: his eyes blazing and wild, his long hair streaming about him in a flaming white nimbus. "WHERE'S KAGOME?" he roared, and Tessaiga suddenly leapt forth in his hand, a deadly golden vortex forming around its blade.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shrieked. "Osuwa...aaaaaarrrrrgh!" The pain struck her again, and she clutched at her belly and moaned.

"Ah...excuse me." A nurse calmly walked up to Inuyasha; she was barely half his height, and her expression was perfectly calm. She held out a green medical gown. "She really needs your support right now. If you'd put that down and put this on...we could use your help."

Inuyasha stopped cold in his tracks. He looked towards Kagome, apparently seeing her for the first time since he entered the room; then he looked at the nurse; and then, to everyone's surprise (and relief), he said simply, "Okay. Let's go." His demonic fury evaporated in the blink of an eye—he sheathed his sword, and began putting on the offered gown.

"Good boy," said the nurse, and she patted him kindly on the back. "This your first child?" she asked as she helped him into the gown and stuffed his long hair into a cap, and he nodded. "I thought so. Everyone's a little nervous the first time. We'll get her through it—don't you worry."

The nurse turned to the doctor, and asked, "Now, doctor...ah, doctor—are you alright?"

"Ah ... abba ... he ... ah ..." stammered the doctor, and pointed with a shaking hand towards Inuyasha.

The nurse chuckled. "This is your first year out of medical school, first year in a big hospital—isn't it?" The doctor nodded mutely. "I thought so," the nurse laughed. "Now, I'll admit, you don't see this sort of thing every day," she said, rolling her eyes towards the hole that Inuyasha had torn in the wall, "but the longer you're here, the more crazy things you'll see. Oh, I could tell you some stories! But the first thing you need to learn is that no matter what sort of wild stuff they're wearing or what shape they are... people are all the same, and they're all just worried about their loved ones. Look at him now." Inuyasha was holding Kagome's hand and was tenderly wiping her brow with a cool cloth, totally focused on her, completely oblivious to the rest of the world. "Gentle as a lamb, now that he knows that she's OK."

The nurse laughed again, and began, "Of course, this doesn't even begin to compare to what happened here last New Year's Eve..." Kagome interrupted her with a sharp cry of pain. "But that'll have to wait," the nurse said, spinning the doctor and pushing him gently towards Kagome. "...because I don't think the baby will. You're on, doctor."

Like so many fathers before him, Inuyasha had no idea what the birth process involved, much less the strain it would put on Kagome. "Kagome," he whispered concernedly as he wiped the sweat from her brow, "You're not going to... you're going to be OK, aren't you?"

"Don't worry—I'll be fine," she said soothingly, and she reached her hand towards him and gently stroked his cheek. "Inuyasha," she asked softly, "Can you hold me up...just a little while?"

"You know I can," he said with a smile, and he put his arms around her shoulders and braced her against the coming struggle. "You've always been there for me," he said gently, "and I'll always be here for you."

It had always been Kagome who had supported Inuyasha, time after time, when he fought with sword and strength to save all of their lives. Now it was Inuyasha who supported his beloved Kagome, as she fought with all the strength of her heart and the valor of her body to bring a single new life into the world. And soon the room resounded with the raucous clamor of new life: the exhausted, ecstatic sobs of a mother triumphant at the end of her labor, and the defiant cries of a newborn child drawing its first breath.

"It's a girl!" The doctor proclaimed triumphantly. "Congratulations!"

"Congratulations! Oh, congratulations, my dears!" said the nurse cheerily. "Well, she's definitely her father's child," she laughed as she gently but expertly dried the child's full head of long white hair, cleaned her canine ears, bundled her into a warm blanket, and presented her to Kagome. "What's her name?"

"Well..." said Kagome thoughtfully, pressing a finger to her lips, "We've talked about it..." In fact, she had attempted to broach the subject many times, but Inuyasha had been puzzlingly reluctant to join in any discussion of the child's name. "...but we haven't really decided yet," she finished diplomatically.

"Izayoi," said Inuyasha quietly. "The child's name is Izayoi." He hung his head for a moment, then he turned his face to the window and looked into the golden afternoon sunlight. Gently, almost meekly, he whispered, "It was...my mother's name."

Kagome felt tears welling anew in her eyes. She reached for Inuyasha's hand, and drew it to her own heart. "Yes," she said simply, "Her name is Izayoi." She smiled warmly at her daughter. "My precious Izayoi."

"Would you like to hold her?" said the nurse to Inuyasha. She gently took little Izayoi from Kagome, then she laid the child in Inuyasha's arms, arranging his hands to support her properly.

Inuyasha was speechless. For a long time he stared wordlessly at the tiny child in his arms, stroking her silky white hair. Finally, he said quietly, "My dad...he gave me my name, my sword, and my mother's life...but he never held me like this..." and he suddenly turned his back to the others in the room and faced the window. He sniffed quietly for a few moments, and Kagome could see his shoulders quivering, ever so slightly; then he visibly gathered himself and turned back to Kagome, tears of joy still running down his face. "Kagome," he said, his face glowing with happiness and pride, "she's beautiful."

They were startled out of their reverie by the click and flash of a camera. "Is that the new baby?" came a happy shout. "Way to go, sis! Way to go, Inu-ni-chan!"

Standing within the hole that Inuyasha had torn in the wall were Souta and Mama. Souta was gleefully dancing about and madly snapping pictures, and Mama was smiling demurely as ever. "We hope you don't mind our intrusion," said Mama, bowing politely and nodding at the opening in the wall, "but the door was open."

Behind Mama and Souta, Inuyasha and Kagome could also see the other holes that Inuyasha had torn on his way to the delivery room. Heads were poking into each of the gaps in the walls, as curious hospital staff strained to see what was going on. When the onlookers realized that Kagome and Inuyasha were staring at them, they all said "Congratulations!" with embarrassed smiles, then hastily disappeared.

After introductions all around (the nurse who had been so helpful was named Aiko, and Kagome and Mama thanked her quite profusely for her assistance and her wisdom), much adoration of the new baby, and of course many pictures snapped by an enthusiastic Souta, mother and child were bundled up for the trip home. The doctor had pronounced Kagome "unbelievably healthy" and said that there was no need for her to stay in the hospital if she wanted to go home—and Kagome, quite wisely, decided that getting Inuyasha out of there as quickly as possible would be best for everyone.

As an orderly pushed Kagome's wheelchair carefully through the debris in the hallway towards the exit, Mama's attention was drawn to a commotion at the opposite end of the hall: the young man that Inuyasha had rather roughly tossed aside earlier was having an animated conversation with a group of large and well-armed hospital security officers, and he was gesturing in her direction with one hand and nursing an ugly bump on his head with the other. The officers nodded and began making their way towards Inuyasha and Kagome.

As the officers reached the pile of rubble outside the delivery room, Mama and Nurse Aiko intercepted them, and each took one arm of the sergeant in charge. "What a wonderful day it is today," Mama said charmingly, a beautiful smile warming her gentle face. "It's my first granddaughter—I'm so happy!" She giggled and demurely covered her mouth; as she did so, she caught the sergeant's eye and whispered earnestly, "There's no power on heaven or earth that can keep those two apart. I've seen him fight for her. If you even _try_ to get between them...well, God help you, because no one else can."

"Now what are you boys on about now?" laughed Nurse Aiko, swinging merrily from the other arm of the puzzled sergeant. "Oh, the stories you hear in hospitals...boy, I could sure tell you a few myself!" She guffawed raucously, then she looked the man square in the eye, and said quietly, "He took three walls down with his bare hands. He went through them like they were paper. He would have torn this whole building apart to find her. Do you _really_ want to get between them?"

One of the other officers was on his knees, inspecting the remains of a wall that Inuyasha had torn through. With difficulty, he lifted a large chunk of the wall, and held it up for the others to see. "Sarge," he said cautiously, "are those claw marks?"

Another pointed to some dark slag on the surface. "Are those burns? And...that, right there, looks like the concrete _boiled_... it's ..._melted_..." he shuddered and backed away quickly.

The sergeant looked carefully at the remains of the wall and the marks that Inuyasha's attack had left, then he looked down the hall to see Inuyasha at Kagome's side as she was being wheeled to the door. Inuyasha seemed quite innocuous in his surgical garb (which Nurse Aiko had wisely neglected to tell him to remove): a green medical cap covered his long hair and ears, and the gown hid his sword. But then, the sergeant saw Inuyasha give the orderly pushing Kagome's chair a friendly pat on the back, and he clearly saw Inuyasha's claws, glinting under the fluorescent lights.

The sergeant scratched his chin a moment, then took the claw-marked chunk of wall from his assistant and carefully dropped it onto the floor; it fell with a loud thud, breaking in half and obliterating the evidence of Inuyasha's attack. "Electrical fire?" he said, looking significantly at his men.

"Electrical fire," they all nodded enthusiastically.

"Well, they just don't build 'em like they used to," said the sergeant chummily to Nurse Aiko and Mama. "Rampaging madmen tearing holes in walls... hah! The things people think they see around here! I'm getting too old for this job." Then he muttered earnestly, "Just keep things quiet until she goes home, OK?"

"Oh, it'll be no problem at all," said Nurse Aiko, patting the sergeant's hand reassuringly. "First-time fathers are nothing but trouble. They're just like little boys, out of control..._you_ know what I mean, don't you?" she said significantly to Mama, who laughed as she watched Souta madly snapping pictures of Kagome's progress down the hallway. "They've just got too much energy, and nothing to do with it. Once you give them something to do, they're no trouble at all."

Then Nurse Aiko took Mama's hand, and she said warmly, "But from the looks of the little one, she's her father's daughter...and I'm sure that from now on, he'll always have _plenty_ to do."

Mama giggled. "If she's anything like her father...we'll _all_ have plenty to do. Oh, my poor Kagome..." Mama dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, and the hall rang with her laughter: "What _will_ you do with _two_ of them?"

* * *


	2. Infancy

**The Tale of the Princess of the Crescent Moon**

* * *

Infancy

* * *

"Inuyasha, are you sure it's safe?"

Inuyasha was struggling with the various baby baskets, trying to figure out how best to carry all of them. "How can it not be safe?" he said. "She went down the well I don't know how many times when she was in your belly—why should now be any different?"

"Yeah, you're right," she said, unconvinced, as she stood at the lip of the well and peered into it, holding the infant Izayoi tight to her chest. "But I still don't know..."

"C'mon," he said impatiently. He had wrestled all the baby baskets into one hand; he jumped onto the lip of the well and with his other arm, he scooped up Kagome and the baby. "It's now or never—let's go!" he shouted cheerily, and jumped into the well.

Kagome squealed and clutched tightly at the baby, but little Izayoi seemed quite content to float through the time stream within the well. Her eyes eagerly followed the twinkling lights that floated by, and she cooed happily at each passing glimmer.

In a few moments, they arrived at the bottom of the bone-eater's well in the feudal era. "Y'see—nothing to worry about! I told you it would be fine!" said Inuyasha proudly.

"Yeah, you were right...but _don't do that again!_" said Kagome crossly. Inuyasha wrapped his arm around Kagome again and leaped skyward, and the three of them sailed out of the well and began their walk to the village.

"They're here! They're here!" The village children shouted happily as they saw Kagome and her family approach, and soon she and her child were surrounded by an adoring throng, with everyone hoping to catch the first glimpse of the new baby.

Inuyasha couldn't have been happier. He had never seen a hanyou so welcomed by humans before. He himself was treated cordially enough by the villagers, but he knew that it was entirely due to his relationship with Kagome. But no father could have been prouder than he was, as he watched the hero's welcome that his wife and child received.

There was only one sour voice in the whole crowd. "Yeah, I guess it's cute enough...if you like hanyous," one man said coarsely.

"WHO SAID THAT?" came a roar from the rear of the crowd, and a furious Kaede pushed her way through to the center of the crowd and stood before Kagome and her child, her eye burning with fury. "Who said that...who?" she repeated. The villagers had never seen Kaede this angry before, and they cowered as her eye swept the crowd. Suddenly, her eye fell on one man, and it narrowed angrily. "_You_...it was _you_, wasn't it?"

Even though Kaede was barely half the man's height, she seemed to tower over him, and she poked him angrily in the belly as she spoke. "This poor innocent child... what could it have possibly done to you, to deserve such hatred?" she growled. "And how _dare_ you insult the child of Kagome-sama, even while she lies in her mother's arms?"

The man hung his head in shame; Kaede pointed angrily to the forest, and snarled, "Go. Leave the village. Spend the next three nights in the forest. See what it feels like to be alone, friendless, and helpless...before you condemn this innocent child to the same fate. And if you return before the three days have passed, I will burn your house to the ground myself, with you in it. GO!"

The man slunk away whimpering. Kaede turned to face Kagome, her face still terrifyingly stern. She looked silently at the infant in Kagome's arms for a few moments; then, she pulled up Izayoi's shirt, put her face against the baby's belly and, blowing merrily, made a loud and rude noise. She straightened, smiled at the child, and said "Woodgie-woodgie-woodgie!" as she tickled the baby's tummy.

"Awww..." said all the villagers in unison as Izayoi giggled adorably, and the moment's unpleasantness was soon forgotten. The villagers led Kagome and the baby into the village with all the pomp of conquering heroes, and in very short order, they threw together quite a celebration.

* * *

Miroku and Sango arrived not too long after the party had started. "Kagome-chan!" squealed Sango with delight. She ran to Kagome and enthusiastically threw her arms about her. "Shippou and Kirara stopped to pick flowers for you—they'll be here soon." She gasped excitedly, "Is _this_ the baby? Oh...she's _adorable_!" 

Kagome handed Izayoi to Sango, and Sango cooed and purred blissfully as she held the child in her arms. "Sango-chan," said Miroku, "look how beautiful she is. Perhaps soon we might be lucky enough to have one of our own...?"

Both Miroku and Sango giggled coyly, and there was much exchange of significant glances and nuzzling of noses—so much so that Inuyasha groaned impatiently, rolled his eyes, and muttered "Enough, already, you two," loudly enough for Kagome to hear him, whereupon she elbowed him hard in the ribs.

"Just look at her!" cried Miroku, taking the child gently out of Sango's arms and lifting her into the air. "Ha-ha!" he laughed joyfully, playfully bouncing the child over his head, "Kagome-sama, she's absolutely..." Suddenly, Izayoi gurgled wetly, splattering Miroku squarely in the eye.

"...perfect," concluded Miroku calmly with his best priestly demeanor, and he quickly handed the child back to Sango. Kagome and Sango both blushed, but they couldn't control their laughter; nor could Inuyasha, much to Miroku's visible annoyance.

"Then again," said Miroku thoughtfully, wiping his face and trying to rub the stains out of his robes, "Perhaps we shouldn't be in too much of a hurry to have one of our own."

Kagome excused herself from the party to sit under the shade of a tree and feed Izayoi, and Sango accompanied her to chat.

"Kagome-chan, if you don't mind me asking," Sango said, trying not to stare too hard at Izayoi as she suckled at Kagome's breast, "That doesn't ... hurt, does it?"

"Oh, no," laughed Kagome. "Once you get past the bit about, you know, having milk coming out of your body...it feels pretty good. Don't worry about it, Sango-chan." Kagome smiled; but then she suddenly winced, and she gently tried to adjust Izayoi into a different position. "Besides, your children probably won't be born with..." Kagome winced again, gasping slightly. "...fangs." Kagome gently pulled Izayoi away, and she laid the child over her shoulder, patting her gently on the back. "I hope you've had enough for now, dear...because I'm afraid Mommy has."

Sango reached for Izayoi, and Kagome handed her the baby. Sango rocked the child tenderly in her arms, and Izayoi happily settled down for a nap. "I could get used to milk coming out of my body," Sango said thoughtfully, as she tenderly stroked Izayoi's fine, silky white hair. "But I'm not sure about having a _baby _come out of me. What was it like? Did it...hurt horribly, Kagome-chan?"

"Hmm," said Kagome thoughtfully, ticking points off on her fingers as she spoke. "Let's see: I've been shot in the back with my own arrow...I had my soul ripped out of my body to re-animate Inuyasha's former lover...I had my soul ripped out of my body _again_, and maybe another time after that, I forget...I had to stand in an ogre's stomach acid to hold up Inuyasha so we wouldn't all be killed... So, the pain of having a baby—well, with the sort of life _we_ lead, it's just all in a day's work, isn't it?" Kagome laughed. "Actually, it did hurt, worse than all of those things put together, and even more because it was so very..._personal_. But once I saw my beautiful daughter...it was all worth it, every moment of it."

Suddenly Izayoi awoke and started crying. Sango's eyes grew very large, and she held the baby at arm's length, quite terrified. "Kagome-chan—I swear, I didn't hurt her—I didn't do _anything_—she just started crying..."

Kagome laughed. "She just does that sometimes. Don't worry, Sango-chan." Kagome took back the crying baby and began rocking her, but nothing she could do seemed to make Izayoi happy. She didn't want more milk, she didn't want changing, she didn't want burping; nothing made any difference.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Inuyasha had heard Izayoi's cries and had rushed over in a fluster.

"She's just...unhappy, Inuyasha," said Kagome. "Why don't you see if she wants Daddy?" Kagome handed Izayoi to Inuyasha, who stared quite bewilderedly at the wailing child in his arms.

He tried dandling her on his knee, he tried rocking her, he tried putting her over his shoulder and patting her back; nothing worked. Finally, he held her between his hands and brought his face right up to hers. "I don't get it—what do you _want_?" he said impatiently to the baby.

Izayoi grabbed the hair that hung down along the sides of Inuyasha's face and pulled hard, bowing Inuyasha's head towards her. Inuyasha cried out in surprise and pain, but then he suddenly shouted out in a panic, "Get her off me! Get her off me!"

Izayoi had latched on to one of her father's ears and was sucking happily away at it, all crying forgotten. Izayoi was now quite content, but Inuyasha was madly flapping about, trying desperately not to upset his daughter while at the same time trying to pull her off his ear. Kagome and her friends nearly fell over laughing at the sight, much to Inuyasha's irritation and embarrassment. Kagome finally contained herself enough to assist Inuyasha in maneuvering over to a nearby table and depositing Izayoi in her basket, and she pulled up a bench so that Inuyasha could sit down while his daughter continued sucking on his ear. "If you _ever _mention this again," Inuyasha growled as he sat with his head hanging over his daughter's basket, blushing as red as his kimono, "I swear, I'll _never _forgive you."

Unfortunately, Izayoi was not contented by her father's ear for very long, and when she opened her mouth to begin crying again, Inuyasha leapt to his feet with a whoop of relief that startled everybody. Both he and Kagome tried everything that they could think of to calm their child, but nothing could satisfy poor little Izayoi; and finally, one of the village parents quietly suggested to Kagome that sometimes children just need to cry, and that a few minutes alone in her basket might be all that was necessary. With a sigh of both concern and relief, Kagome carefully laid her daughter into her basket, covered her with a blanket, and walked off to take a break with the others.

By the time that Kagome joined him, Inuyasha was already sitting in the circle of villagers, listening with rapt attention to the women discussing the finer points of rearing an infant—how often to feed them, how to know when to put them down for their naps, how to get the father to change the diaper (Inuyasha crossed his arms and said "Keh!" at this; the women only laughed louder).

Suddenly, Inuyasha's ears twitched. "It's Izayoi—she's stopped crying."

"Good," said Kagome.

"No...I don't like it." He jumped up and started heading for the table on which sat Izayoi's basket. "It sounded like she stopped _very _suddenly."

Kagome jumped up and followed Inuyasha as he ran towards Izayoi's basket; but they soon discovered why she had stopped crying.

It was Shippou. He had returned from gathering flowers, and had hopped onto the table to see what was in the basket that was making all the noise. He was standing on the table next to Izayoi's basket, holding Izayoi's hand; her tiny hand nearly engulfed his even tinier paw. He was staring at Izayoi with an expression of rapt adoration; and Izayoi was staring at him with the same expression.

"She...she's...incredible," said Shippou, never taking her eyes off Izayoi. "What's her name?"

"Izayoi," said Kagome. "It was Inuyasha's mother's name."

"Izayoi," repeated Shippou in a reverent whisper. He gently bent down and kissed Izayoi on the forehead; Izayoi cooed and squirmed with delight. She held out her little arms to Shippou, clearly asking to be picked up.

"Can...can I hold her?" asked Shippou.

"Let's see what we can do," laughed Kagome. Izayoi was nearly the same size as Shippou, and there was simply no way that he could have held the baby in his arms. Instead, Kagome had Shippou sit crosslegged on the table, and she laid as much of Izayoi as she could in Shippou's lap, placing Izayoi's upper body in his arms and resting her head against his shoulder. Izayoi laughed happily and gurgled with joy, and she laid her palm against Shippou's chest, caught his fur in her fist, and squeezed.

"She's...got a real grip...doesn't she?" said Shippou, wincing.

"Aren't babies wonderful?" said Inuyasha dryly. "Just keep her away from your ears."

It didn't take long for everyone to see that Shippou and Izayoi had become quite inseparable. Shippou watched with fascination as Kagome changed and fed Izayoi, and Izayoi's crying stopped the moment that she was returned to Shippou's arms or was given his hand to hold. "Well, we'll never lack for a babysitter...and we'll probably never find a better one," Kagome said happily, as she watched Shippou entertaining Izayoi with fox magic.

Soon it was time to go. Shippou blinked back the tears as he said goodbye to Izayoi. "Please, come back soon!" he said to Izayoi; then he caught himself, and turned to Kagome and said, "I mean...please _bring_ _her _back soon!"

Izayoi was sad to leave Shippou, too—she reached out to him from her mother's arms and cried when she couldn't reach him. In desperation, Inuyasha took his daughter in one hand and held her to the side of his head like an icebag, where she merrily began sucking on his ear again.

"Goodbye, everyone! We'll be back soon! Goodbye!" said Kagome, as she jumped into the well.

"See ya!" said Inuyasha—but before he jumped into the well, he looked sternly at Miroku and Shippou, and pointed to his daughter, still sucking on his ear.

"This _never happened_. You understand me? Say _anything_ about this, _ever again_...and I swear I'll kill you."

* * *


	3. Eight

**The Tale of the Princess of the Crescent Moon**

* * *

Eight

* * *

Easily the biggest fight that Inuyasha and Kagome ever had (quite an accomplishment, considering their years of near-constant squabbling) was over Izayoi's schooling. Inuyasha saw no need or use for school, and had never understood Kagome's attachment to it. "How many times did we nearly lose everything to Naraku because you were gone doing one of those 'test' things?" he shouted. Kagome desperately wanted her little girl to have a normal childhood—of course, as Inuyasha constantly reminded her, there was nothing normal about Izayoi, at least as far as the modern era was concerned. Nonetheless, Kagome finally won out, and Izayoi was bundled into a uniform and marched off to school along with all the other children in the temple's neighborhood. 

Izayoi always wore a kerchief to cover her canine ears ("It's a... religious thing," Kagome had explained to the principal on enrollment day), but to everyone's surprise and relief, she seemed to blend in quite well. Izayoi was far too much like her father for Kagome's taste; she showed little to no interest in the academic side of school, but she was extremely good in sports; her teachers all proudly referred to her as a "natural athlete" and many of them had begun entertaining championship dreams for Izayoi's high-school years. Aside from being unusually strong and agile for her age, she seemed to all intents and purposes to be a completely normal child.

Third grade had started like every other year; Izayoi had made new friends, and she was having the usual troubles with her studies and the usual successes in sports. About half way through the year, a new student joined her class: a nasty little child name Taro. Taro was quite large for his age; he was a bully, he enjoyed being a bully, and he was extremely good at it. The children all complained to their teachers about him, but none of the teachers was ever able to catch Taro doing anything wrong, and any student who tattled on Taro would receive a doubly vicious thrashing after school.

Taro was fond of elbowing people out of his way as he walked down the hallways. He only tried it once with Izayoi—because running into her felt like running into a wall. Taro expected her to be shoved easily out of the way like everyone else had been, but when he threw his weight against her, the impact sent him flying backwards, and Izayoi never even looked back at him as she passed. Taro took an immediate dislike to her (as he did with anyone who refused to be cowed by his bullying) and resolved to get his revenge by pulling off her head kerchief.

But no matter how hard he tried, Izayoi was always too fast for him. No matter how or where he reached for it, he would find his hand caught in her iron grip, and she twisted his wrist ever more viciously each time she caught him. One day, he pestered her mercilessly, trying again and again to grab her kerchief.

The teacher had just begun copying today's lesson on the board when Izayoi felt Taro's hand slowly reaching towards her kerchief.

"Taro...quit it," she whispered at him, easily dodging his hand.

For a few moments, the class was quiet again but for the soft clacking of the chalk on the board. Izayoi was struggling to copy everything from the board as fast as the teacher was writing it, when she sensed Taro's hand sneaking towards her again. She whirled, lightning-fast, and grabbed his wrist and wrenched it cruelly. "Taro...I told you to _quit it!_" she whispered intensely, and shoved his hand away roughly.

Taro stifled his cry of pain, and glared angrily at Izayoi while he rubbed his wrist. The teacher, thinking that he had heard something, had turned around and was looking suspiciously at the class; but seeing nothing, he turned away again and resumed writing the lesson on the board.

About ten minutes later, Izayoi sensed Taro's hand once more sneaking towards her kerchief. Furious, she spun around and slapped him hard across the face, and she shouted, "Taro! I told you to knock it off!"

The teacher whirled around to see Taro looking bewildered, Izayoi's palm-print burning redly on his cheek; and Izayoi glowering furiously, her right hand still upraised. "Higurashi!" the teacher shouted, "What are you doing?"

"He started it!" she shouted back, pointing angrily at Taro.

"Higurashi, this behavior is unacceptable. Go stand in the corner. If I have to speak to you again about this, you're going to the office." The teacher turned his back and resumed copying the lesson on the board. Izayoi stomped off to the corner, where she stood with her arms crossed defiantly. Taro checked that the teacher still had his back turned, then turned to face Izayoi and stuck his tongue out at her. Then, he reached into Izayoi's desk and took all her pencils.

"Taro..." Izayoi growled.

"Be quiet, Higurashi!" the teacher snapped without turning away from the board.

Fortunately, the rest of the morning passed without further incident. After lunch, Izayoi and her friends were on their way to gym class when Taro rushed at them from behind the lockers. He knew better than to go for Izayoi, still remembering the bruises he had received the last time he tried that particular trick; instead, he ran headlong into one of Izayoi's friends, sending her sprawling hard, face first, onto the ground.

"Taro, you jerk," yelled Izayoi, "If I ever get my hands on you..." She shook her fist at Taro, then turned to help her friend. "Hitomi-chan," she said, "Are you OK?"

Hitomi blinked back the tears as she held her skinned knee, but she nodded bravely. Izayoi extended both hands to Hitomi and gently pulled her to her feet. "Let's get you to the nurse's office," Izayoi said kindly.

Right at that moment, when both Izayoi's hands were occupied helping her friend, Taro struck. He pounced on Izayoi and grabbed hard at her head kerchief, snapping it smartly off her head; Izayoi couldn't stop him without dropping Hitomi. Taro stepped back to admire his handiwork, then he began laughing and calling to the crowd that was quickly gathering.

"Hey, everyone," Taro shouted, pointing at Izayoi's ears, "Look at the dog! So that's what you've been hiding! C'mere, girl! C'mere!" He snapped his fingers and whistled at Izayoi. "That's a good girl! Sit, girl! Sit!"

Izayoi carefully released Hitomi, letting her slide into another's child's arms, then she walked across the circle of laughing children to face Taro. She said nothing, glaring angrily at him while he laughed at her; then she grabbed him by the belt and the collar of his jacket, and she hurled him high into the air.

The children gasped, and there was a delicious silence through which Taro's terrified wailing could be easily heard as he sailed through the air, soaring over a nearby fence; and several long seconds later, he splashed into the pool. For a moment, all was still; then a chaotic rush of students and teachers burst through the pool gates, and every one of them was shouting. One of the gym teachers came upon the circle of students surrounding Izayoi; she was still glowering furiously, her arms crossed defiantly across her chest. From the terrified expressions on the faces of the other students, the teacher quickly deduced what had happened, and Izayoi was marched unceremoniously off to the office.

* * *

Kagome was, as any parent would be, quite shocked when she got the call from the school. She was relieved to hear that her daughter was unhurt, but mortified to hear that she had been taken to the vice-principal's office, and quite embarrassed to have been asked to come pick her up. Except for her extended absences, Kagome had always been a model student, and had never been called to the office in her life; it was always "bad children" who received such treatment, and she was aghast to find her daughter in that situation. She insisted that Inuyasha accompany her: "You've got to take a hand in her discipline. I can't handle this all by myself, you know," Kagome said sternly as she stuck a baseball cap on Inuyasha's head and dragged him out of the house. "Just sit there, don't say anything, agree with whatever I say, and we'll be just fine. Try to _support_ me this time, OK, Inuyasha?" 

When Kagome and Inuyasha arrived at the vice-principal's office, Izayoi was sitting on a bench outside the door, her arms still folded, her brows still knitted in fury, worrying her kerchief in one white-knuckled hand. "Iza-chan, are you alright? What happened?" Kagome asked.

Izayoi started to respond, but she was interrupted by the office door opening. It was the vice principal, Dr. Hattori, a gray-haired middle-aged gentlemen in a tidy gray suit. He introduced himself somberly but politely, then ushered the three of them into his office. The office was sparse, decorated only with a few certificates hung on the walls. There were no photos on his desk; there was only a spotless white desk blotter, a very small potted plant, and a row of very precisely arranged and precisely sharpened pencils, each precisely the same length. Dr. Hattori liked cleanliness and order.

"Thank you for coming," Dr. Hattori intoned solemnly. He had held many such conferences over the years, and they were always the same: the child's tearful denials; the parents bravely taking the child's side; his calm, firm, yet compassionate explanation of how the child had gone astray; and eventually, everyone always came around to see it his way, and the meeting always ended happily, with parents promising their support to the school and a penitent and compliant child. Dr. Hattori liked happy endings.

He began the meeting as he always did: "I appreciate the trouble that you took to come here this afternoon. It shows how much you care for your daughter and how much you support the school. I asked you to come here today because..."

Inuyasha cut him off; he faced Izayoi and asked brusquely, "Izayoi. Tell me the truth: did you kill somebody?"

"_No_, Daddy," she said exasperatedly, kicking at the rungs of her chair.

"Anybody hurt?"

"No, Daddy."

"Did you break anything? You know how upset your mother gets when things get broken."

Izayoi sighed wearily and rolled her eyes. "_No_, Daddy."

"Well, I can't see what the problem is," said Inuyasha, throwing up his hands in disgust.

"Ah...yes...well..." Kagome sputtered with embarrassment, "Perhaps we could start by hearing Izayoi's side of whatever happened today."

"Fair enough," said Dr. Hattori, who was looking rather dismayed at the direction the conference was already going. "Izayoi, please tell us what happened."

Relieved to finally be telling her side of the story, Izayoi breathlessly related the afternoon's events: "That bully Taro...he had been trying to steal my kerchief all day, and I wouldn't let him, and he tried three times today already, so I slapped him, and they made me stand in the corner..." She looked angrily at Dr. Hattori and continued, "and I've _already been punished for that_ and it's not fair to punish me again," she informed him sternly. She then turned back to her mother and said, "And then he hurt Hitomi-chan, and I was helping her up so I couldn't stop him, and he tore off my kerchief, so I threw him in the pool."

"Over a twelve-foot fence," Dr. Hattori added, "which I have a _very_ hard time believing... but if it's true, that's not acceptable behavior. Taro could have been seriously hurt."

"If I had wanted him seriously hurt," Izayoi said, balling her hand into a fist and squeezing hard enough to make her knuckles crack, "He _would_ be seriously hurt."

"You threw him over a twelve-foot fence?" asked Inuyasha.

"Yup," said Izayoi, crossing her arms defiantly.

"That's my girl," said Inuyasha proudly, playfully mussing Izayoi's hair, then leaning back in his chair with a broad smile.

Kagome smiled wanly, and laughed uncomfortably. "Wait until I get you home," she muttered to Inuyasha under her breath.

Dr. Hattori buried his head in his hands. This wasn't going well at all, he thought.

"And now," Izayoi added urgently, "Everyone's seen my ears, and they all think I'm weird. Even Hitomi-chan won't talk to me," she said, hanging her head dejectedly, "And I helped her after Taro hit her, too,"

"Now, Mr. and Mrs. Higurashi..." Dr. Hattori began, trying to regain control of the meeting, but he was interrupted by Inuyasha's threatening growl. Inuyasha hated being called "Mr. Higurashi," and Kagome recognized that growl as a sure sign that very soon things were going to get...unpleasant.

Kagome quickly tried a different approach. "Now, Dr. Hattori, after all, it was that Taro boy, not my daughter, that started all this," she said, "and he's nothing but trouble from what Izayoi tells me...and he _did_ pull off her kerchief. You can see now why we thought it was so important for her to wear it."

"Yes, I can understand," said Dr. Hattori. "If it isn't too personal for me to ask, by the way...what's wrong with her ears?"

Inuyasha jumped out of his chair, slammed his fist onto Dr. Hattori's desk, ripped off his baseball cap, and shouted, "There's _nothing _wrong with her ears!"

"They're...congenital," offered Kagome helpfully.

"Of...of course not," stammered Dr. Hattori, "I mean, of course they are. I mean...I beg your pardon." He looked nervously at Inuyasha, who was still leaning over the desk, fuming. "Please, Mr. Higurashi..." he began, but Inuyasha immediately growled again. "Um, please _sir_... Please have a seat. I'm sure we can discuss this..." he gulped, as he stared at Inuyasha's ears twitching angrily, "...calmly. After all, all we want is what's best for Izayoi...right?"

"Look, I just don't understand what the big deal is," Inuyasha said as he resumed his seat. "This jerk, Taro, this bully got what he deserved...something it doesn't sound like you people were able to take care of. Plus, everybody knows now that you don't mess with my daughter." He crossed his arms smartly and turned up his nose. "Keh. Problem solved."

"Keh. Problem solved," piped Izayoi, crossing her arms and turning up her nose.

"Ah. Yes. Well," said Dr. Hattori, desperately trying to regain his composure. "In any event, school rules are very specific about the consequences of fighting. Izayoi will have to be suspended for the rest of the week."

"No school for the rest of the week! Hooray!" shouted Izayoi happily, jumping out of her chair. "Let's go hunt youkai with Kaede-obachan!"

"Yeah, let's go!" said Inuyasha enthusiastically, jumping to his feet and proudly taking Izayoi by the hand. "Now that I know you're finally getting strong, we'll go find some big ones that you can _really _sharpen your claws on!" Izayoi joyfully skipped to the door and out into the hallway, happily holding her father's hand, without saying goodbye to Dr. Hattori.

"Ah...we'll...we'll talk to her," fluttered Kagome, blushing beet red as she gathered her things.

"Did she just say...that she was going to 'hunt youkai?'" asked Dr. Hattori cautiously.

"She has an...over-active imagination," said Kagome hurriedly, bowing and making quickly for the door. "Good bye, Dr. Hattori. I'm sure this won't ever happen again." She did not look at all convinced as she bowed a final time; then she dashed away to catch up with Inuyasha and her daughter.

Dr. Hattori rubbed his brow, then reached into his desk for a bottle of aspirin. "This won't ever happen again? Oh, my dear Mrs. Higurashi," he said wistfully to himself, "I'm sure we're going to be seeing quite a lot of each other over the years." He began leafing through his desk calendar. "I think ... yes: Tuesdays will be good for me."

* * *


	4. Twelve

**The Tale of the Princess of the Crescent Moon **

* * *

Twelve

* * *

"It's Izayoi! Something's wrong!"

Inuyasha jumped up from the breakfast table and dashed out the door, Kagome close on his heels. They ran headlong up the stairs to Izayoi's room and threw the door open; sitting on the bed was their daughter, tears streaming down her face, her hands shaking as she clutched at her hair.

"Mommy! Mommy! What's happened to my hair?" she shrieked. She fitfully tugged at her long hair, which was no longer its usual white: it had turned a rich, lustrous, obsidian black.

"Oh dear," said Kagome, as she sat next to her daughter on the bed, untangled Izayoi's hands from her hair, and gently took her daughter's shaking hands between her own. "It's going to be OK, Iza-chan. It's perfectly normal—there's nothing wrong with you. I'm so sorry—we should have talked about this—it's our fault that you're so upset."

"Mom...I can't hear you right. You sound funny. Something's wrong with my ears, too!" Her hands went to the top of her head where her canine ears normally protruded from her hair—and finding nothing, she began screaming anew. "My ears! Where are my ears?" she shrieked.

"Hush, Iza-chan." Kagome gently but firmly picked up her daughter and lifted her to the mirror, where she pulled back Izayoi's hair to reveal a perfectly normal human ear. "Look, Iza-chan, there they are, just where they should be. And look," she said, pulling her own hair back, "they look just like mine. You see?"

"Mommy..." Izayoi was trying desperately to control herself, but without much success, and tears leaked steadily down her face. "I don't understand. What's wrong with me? What happened?"

Kagome sighed. "Nothing's wrong with you, Iza-chan. It's just that..."

Inuyasha interrupted her. "You're a hanyou," he said bluntly. "Just like me."

Izayoi looked puzzled. "Daddy," she asked, wiping her nose on her sleeve, "What's a hanyou?"

Inuyasha's heart nearly stopped. He remembered asking his mother the same question; it was the first time he had ever seen his mother cry.

Before he could summon a response, Kagome spoke. "It's something very special and very wonderful," she said soothingly. "Your grandfather—Inuyasha's father—was a youkai; a very great and very powerful youkai, the greatest of all the dog clan. His mother was a human...just like me. Your grandfather had long white hair and dog's ears, like your father; your grandmother had black hair and human ears, like mine. Your father has his father's hair and ears...and you have your father's hair and ears. Most of the time, that is."

"Once a month," Inuyasha said, "you become fully human. Your youkai body, your power, it all...goes to sleep for a while. At the end of the day, you'll be back to normal...but for the day, you're human: weak and powerless."

"Humans aren't _totally _weak and powerless," Kagome hastened to add, glaring at Inuyasha, "but your father's right: you don't have your full strength."

"Does that happen to you, too, Daddy?" Izayoi asked.

"Yeah, it does," he admitted. "We always hid it from you so you wouldn't get scared. But every month, for one night...I look just like you do now."

"I _hate_ this," shouted Izayoi, stamping her foot with rage. "I _hate_ this. I don't _want_ to be a hanyou. I want to be just like I was."

"I'm sorry, Iza-chan," said Kagome, trying to comfort her daughter. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you about this before it happened. We didn't think you'd understand, and we weren't even sure it would happen to you. I'm sorry this was such a shock." Kagome took the brush from the bedside table and began working the tangles out of Izayoi's hair. "You know that we love you, no matter what you look like...but your black hair _is_ very beautiful, you know." She smiled as she smoothed out the knots that Izayoi had wrung into her hair. "Your black hair is even more beautiful than your father's when he's in human form. It's just lovely...oh, my sweet little black-haired girl!" Kagome squealed happily and hugged Izayoi tightly.

"Oh, Mommy..." Izayoi giggled as she squirmed to escape her mother's unexpected embrace.

"A hanyou's human day is his most precious secret," Inuyasha injected darkly. "You must never tell _anyone_ about this. _Ever_. Keeping this secret can save your life...and _not _keeping it can cost you your life."

Izayoi's eyes grew very large at her father's last remark. "Inuyasha," Kagome hissed, "don't _scare_ her so—she's scared enough already." Kagome put down the brush and looked her daughter right in the eye. "He's right, though—you can't tell anyone about this."

"What about Grandma? And Uncle Souta? And Shippou-chan?" Izayoi asked.

"They're OK," said Inuyasha. "They know about me already. Miroku and Sango, too—but absolutely _nobody else_. I've had enough problems in my day with all sorts of people finding out my secret," he grumbled, "and I don't want you to have the same troubles."

"Well now," said Kagome sunnily, as she straightened her daughter's nightshirt. "Why don't you go into the bathroom and wash all those tears away, then I'll bring you breakfast up here so you don't even have to go downstairs. You don't have to go to school today, or even go outside if you don't want to. When the sun goes down, everything will be back to normal." Kagome clapped her hands happily. "And maybe this afternoon, you can try on some of my old kimonos—they'll look so cute on you, with your black hair!"

"O-kay, Mommy," said Izayoi, grumpily.

Kagome sighed with relief. She hoped that the return of Izayoi's normal "morning grumpies," as she called them, were a sign that things would soon return to normal. Kagome kissed Izayoi on the forehead and patted her affectionately as she left for the bathroom.

"Well, that went about as well as it could have," said Kagome as she made her daughter's bed.

"It was so long ago..." said Inuyasha. "I had forgotten exactly when it happened. But yeah, I was about this age...at least she had _us_ to explain things. _I_ didn't have anyone who could help at all...unless you count Myoga," he continued, shuddering with irritation at the memory, "Which I don't."

"Well, all we have to do is make it through the day," Kagome said. "The day before the night of the full moon, I guess, is her day," she mused, looking at Izayoi's wall calendar. "Well, at least it's not the same as yours." Kagome sighed heavily. "She's getting older every day, Inuyasha," she said, "and our little girl is starting to look like a young woman, too. Maybe I'd better have a talk with her about a few other matters, before she gets another nasty surprise."

"What are you talking about?" asked Inuyasha. "A hanyou only has one day a month to worry about—what else is there to deal with?

Kagome opened her mouth and started to speak, then thought better of it. "Some things," she said as she scratched Inuyasha behind the ears fondly, "only a mother can handle."

* * *


	5. Thirteen

**The Tale of the Princess of the Crescent Moon**

* * *

Thirteen

* * *

It was the first day of archery: Izayoi's class was being introduced to the art of the bow and arrow. Izayoi, of course, had learned to shoot at her mother's knee, as soon as she was big enough to draw a bow, and she was already quite a deadly archer. She generally kept her youkai abilities hidden from the other students, hoping that she might better fit in with them; but archery was one area in which she wasn't afraid to show off.

The class slowly made its way out of the locker room, most of the girls still struggling with the unfamiliar ties of their traditional archer's hakamas. Izayoi, of course, had been wearing hakamas since childhood, and she had put hers on and was out of the locker room before most of the girls could figure out which side was the front.

One of the school's smaller fields had been set up as an informal archery range. Seven targets had been lined up against the concrete wall at one end of the field, and shooting lines had been drawn in several locations: one at a bow's length from the target, one at about fifteen meters, and an "official" line at twenty-eight meters. Izayoi gleefully grabbed a bow and an arrow from the rack, and without a second's hesitation walked right up to the twenty-eight-meter shooting line. She had drawn the bow and was ready to shoot when she heard someone shouting her name.

"Higurashi! Higurashi! What are you doing? Stop that right now!" It was Mr. Tanaka, the archery instructor. He ran up to Izayoi and began scolding her. "Who told you that you could shoot? Where's your glove? Where's your chest protector? You don't know what you're doing!"

Izayoi didn't take scolding well, especially from someone she didn't know; moreover, she had saved her own life and the lives of others countless times with her archery, and she was infuriated that someone would tell her that she didn't know what she was doing with a bow and arrow. "I do _so_ know what I'm doing—I've been doing this for years!" she shouted angrily back at him.

"Watch your tone with me, young lady! Anyway, from the looks of it, you've been doing it wrong for years, then," Mr. Tanaka snapped. "With a form like that, you'll never hit the target. And look at your hakama—it's all wrong. Where did you learn to tie that?"

"From my mother and Kaede-obachan," Izayoi retorted. "They're both priestesses—I think they know what they're doing."

"Well, that may be good enough for some old temple, but it's not good enough for archery. Besides, it looks like they learned how to tie it from watching old samurai movies," Mr. Tanaka said rather rudely. "So put down that bow—I'll be the one who decides when you're ready to shoot." Mr. Tanaka stormed off to gather the rest of the girls, leaving Izayoi silently fuming.

She felt a soft touch on her arm; she turned to see a kindly old gentleman in a stately gray kimono, a warm smile on his face. "There's nothing wrong with your form, young lady," he said gently. "It's very old—several hundred years old, I believe—and it's very profound, for one so young. Where did you learn it?"

"From my mother," Izayoi replied.

"Then she is truly a wise woman, and you do honor to her teaching," said the old gentleman. "I would be honored if you could meet me here after school today," he continued. "Perhaps we could learn from each other."

"Yes...I think I'd like that," Izayoi said, smiling for the first time.

"Don't let Mr. Tanaka bother you," the old man chuckled, patting Izayoi gently on the arm. "He's young...he'll learn." He bowed and walked off laughing to himself.

Izayoi was putting away her bow and arrow when Mr. Tanaka rushed up to her, quite flustered. "What did he say to you? What did Nakamura-sensei say to you?" he asked intensely.

"He asked me to stay after school," Izayoi said.

Mr. Tanaka was mortified. "He must have seen your form. I hope he doesn't think _I_ taught you that," he said nervously.

"No...he knows you didn't," Izayoi said dryly, with a straight face.

"Thank goodness," sighed Mr. Tanaka. Then he positively snarled at Izayoi. "You don't know who that is. That's Nakamura-sensei, one of Japan's greatest archers _ever_. He's a national living treasure. We're lucky that he likes young people and stops by to visit from time to time...and if you embarrass me again in front of him, young lady, you'll live to regret it!" Mr. Tanaka stomped off towards the other students, and Izayoi turned to stare at Nakamura-sensei. She had never seen a "national living treasure" before—he seemed like a nice old man, smiling and joking with her classmates as he placidly polished his glasses. She shrugged her shoulders and rejoined the rest of her class.

Mr. Tanaka was running the class through the _hassetsu_, the eight steps of formal Japanese archery. Izayoi saw no point to the fusty way Mr. Tanaka wanted to do things, and flounced her way half-heartedly through the form, which earned her an additional rebuke from Mr. Tanaka. "You'll never become an archer with that attitude, Higurashi," he said harshly. "Go sit over there and watch, and don't come back until you're ready to learn."

Making no effort to hide her irritation, Izayoi stomped over to the bench, sat down loudly, and rested her head on her hand and watched while the others made their first attempts at shooting.

Most of the students were entirely unsuccessful at their first shots, even from the mid-distance line. Most of the arrows fell tragically short or flew wildly, and only one of the students was able to even nick the edge of the target. Mr. Tanaka shouted from his seat across the field, "Good shot, Harumi-kun! There, you see, Higurashi—you should be like Harumi. She's going to be a _real _archer!"

Harumi was the class president, everyone's picture of the ideal student. While she and Izayoi were not exactly enemies, they weren't exactly friends, either, and Izayoi had endured years of being told to "be like Harumi"—and when Mr. Tanaka told Izayoi that she should emulate a girl that couldn't hit the bulls-eye from the fifteen-meter line, Izayoi snapped. "Enough!" she shouted, and she stormed over to the bow rack and grabbed the biggest, heaviest bow she could find. She grabbed a handful of arrows, then she pointed the tip of her bow menacingly at the other students. "Nobody move. _Nobody move an inch! _I mean it!" she shouted, then she jogged away from the targets, far past the third shooting line, to the far end of the field.

The students and Mr. Tanaka complied; everyone was more than a little afraid of Izayoi, even the teachers. "What's she up to?" Mr. Tanaka muttered. At the edge of the field, they saw Izayoi raise her bow.

Suddenly, three arrows came sailing down the length of the field, one after another; each arrow embedded itself firmly in the center of each of the first three targets. There was a pause; then three arrows flew as one, a single volley sailing together down the length of the field. The arrows pierced the centers of the last three targets and traveled straight through, embedding themselves in the concrete wall that stretched behind the targets.

At the end of the field, Izayoi could be seen raising her bow again; and then there was a pink flash, and Izayoi's terrifying _kiai,_ which echoed off the concrete walls of the field and sent chills down the spines of all who heard it. And then there came the final arrow, burning with purifying energy; it coursed down the center of the field, a glowing wake burning a trough as it passed. It flew straight to the center of the middle target, and when the arrow struck, the target exploded, sending sparks of purifying energy and flaming straw in all directions. The class screamed in terror, dropping their bows and running headlong from the field. A few brave souls grabbed fire extinguishers, and tried valiantly to put out the flaming remains of the target.

Izayoi returned to the shooting line, striding regally, chuckling at the squeals of her classmates and the whoosh of the fire extinguishers; she was so pleased with herself that she did not notice Nakamura-sensei still standing by the side of the field, the only person who had not run headlong in panic when the target exploded, laughing and clapping his hands with delight at the spectacle.

Izayoi walked up to Mr. Tanaka and thrust her bow into his hands. "I can _so_ hit the target with my form," she said bluntly, "and _I_ think _your_ hakama looks funny." She strode off towards the locker room, but she was stopped by another gentle touch on her arm.

It was Nakamura-sensei. "Young lady," he said, still chuckling, "I hope you haven't forgotten your promise to meet me here after school."

Izayoi was speechless for a moment, but then she smiled and said, "Of course I haven't. I wouldn't miss it for the world." Then, to her own surprise and the shock of the still speechless Mr. Tanaka, Izayoi bowed very politely to Nakamura-sensei, and calmly walked off the field.

* * *

Just as she had promised, Izayoi appeared at the shooting range after school. She wasn't sure why...but she somehow felt it would be appropriate to wear her hakama for Nakamura-sensei rather than her school uniform, and she took a few extra moments making sure it was especially presentable before she walked out onto the field. And as he had promised, Nakamura-sensei was waiting for her, a broad smile warming his gentle face, and he bowed as he held out a bow and arrow. "Shall we shoot?" he said simply. 

And shoot they did, for hours. Nakamura-sensei watched Izayoi shoot, and she watched him shoot; and he told her about the history of the form she was using, and he showed her new ways to grip the string and the bow, and she showed him how she aimed at targets flying through the air differently than those traveling along the ground, and as Nakamura-sensei had said: they both learned from each other.

The sun set, and the moon rose, and still they continued to shoot. Izayoi was used to shooting at night, and her hanyou's senses were quite capable in the dark, so she was completely unhindered by the increasing darkness; and strangely enough, neither was Nakamura-sensei, whose shots was as accurate in the dim moonlight as they were in broad daylight. Izayoi and Nakamura-sensei had just finished another round of distance shooting when she heard her name called.

"Izayoi!" It was Inuyasha, bounding down to the field from a nearby rooftop. Suddenly, he growled fiercely. "Izayoi! Watch out!" He had seen her holding a bow, and a man he didn't know holding a bow—so he jumped protectively in front of her, drawing Tessaiga in a flash. "Who are you?" he demanded. "What do you want with my daughter?"

"No, Dad, it's OK." Izayoi extricated herself from behind her father's outstretched arm, and held out her hand to her teacher. "This is Nakamura-sensei—he's been teaching me archery. He's nice."

Inuyasha looked at Nakamura-sensei with unabashed suspicion, but he sheathed Tessaiga nonetheless. "Your mother's been very worried about you," he said sternly. "We figured you had just been kept after school again, just like always... but when you didn't come home for dinner, she started getting worried."

"The fault is all mine," said Nakamura-sensei, apparently quite oblivious to the annihilation that he had barely escaped at Inuyasha's hands, and he bowed very politely. "I asked her to remain after school for instruction, and the experience was so pleasant that we lost all track of time. Please forgive an old man for making a father fear for his daughter's safety."

"Well...OK, I guess," said Inuyasha dubiously. "But we have to go home right now. Izayoi, get your things—you can change at home."

"OK, Daddy. Sorry, Nakamura-sensei, I've gotta go," Izayoi said, handing him the bow and bowing politely. Inuyasha had never seen his daughter behave with such dignity; he blinked several times, visibly startled. She ran into the locker room, leaving Inuyasha with her teacher.

"She's a very ... unique girl, is she not?" said Nakamura-sensei, peering at Inuyasha over his glasses. "She has great talents—it would be my honor to be her teacher, if it is amenable to you. And I promise to get her home in time for dinner from now on," he chuckled.

"Yeah...sure..." said a puzzled Inuyasha. No teacher had ever had any praise for his daughter, and he wasn't quite sure how to take the complement. "Uh, Izayoi," he said as his daughter returned from the locker room, "This old guy says he wants to be your teacher. It's fine with me, I guess, if that's what you want."

"Really? Oh, thank you, Daddy!" Izayoi squealed with delight and hugged her father (to his visible embarrassment), then she turned and again bowed politely to Nakamura-sensei. "And thank you, sensei. I'll see you tomorrow after school."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Nakamura-sensei smiled, and bowed in his own turn. He began putting away the equipment as Inuyasha and Izayoi left the field, and watched as the two of them as they bounded away along the rooftops of the school, their white hair flying behind them in the wind. "A unique child, indeed," he laughed.

* * *

The next day at school, Izayoi wearily waited for the usual summons to the vice-principal's office, this time to discuss her behavior on the archery range; but puzzlingly, it never came. At gym class, she put on her hakama with the other girls (still stubbornly tying it the way her mother taught her), but instead of walking to the warm-up area with the other girls, she went to the bench. "I'm going to be sent here anyway," she thought, "At least this way he won't yell as much." But sure enough, Mr. Tanaka immediately called her out anyway. 

"Higurashi! Come over here." Izayoi wearily got off the bench and trudged over to Mr. Tanaka, who had the most puzzling expression on his face. "Get changed. Get out of here," he said flatly. "Go to the library. You're no longer in this class."

Izayoi started to protest, but Mr. Tanaka raised his hand to cut her off. "You're to meet Nakamura-sensei after school, here, every day, from now on, in place of this class." Mr. Tanaka was clearly quite disgusted at this turn of events, and made no effort to hide it from Izayoi. "Nakamura-sensei specifically requested to teach you, and what Nakamura-sensei wants, he gets. Do you know how many people spend years preparing themselves, hoping to be worthy to study with Nakamura-sensei—and he just _asks _for you?" Mr. Tanaka grumbled. "I don't know how you pulled that stunt yesterday, Higurashi," he said rudely, "but when I do, _I'm _going to be Nakamura-sensei's student—not you."

Izayoi patted him kindly on the arm. "Don't worry," she said kindly. "You're young—you'll learn." She turned and walked away, but she couldn't contain herself for long; she howled with laughter as she entered the locker room.

* * *


	6. Fourteen

**The Tale of the Princess of the Crescent Moon**

* * *

Fourteen

* * *

Izayoi had been studying with Nakamura-sensei after school for a year, meeting with him every day except for an occasional break for a foray to the feudal era; somehow, Nakamura-sensei knew when she was not coming and when she had returned, and he never asked about her absences; he did, however, always ask her what she had learned about the bow and arrow on her "days off," as he called them.

One day, Izayoi returned home to find her mother waiting for her, standing in the doorway with a bemused expression. "What's wrong, Mom?" Izayoi asked.

Kagome wordlessly presented Izayoi with what she had been holding—an invitation for Izayoi and her mother to join Nakamura-sensei for a formal tea ceremony. The invitation itself was a thing of exquisite beauty: written in beautiful, flowing brush strokes on fine paper, delivered within a cleverly folded envelope that was bound with complex knot-work, all of it clearly made by hand by a consummate craftsman.

"Izayoi..." Kagome asked, "Do you have any idea who Isao Nakamura is?"

"Yeah," Izayoi answered, "He's my teacher. He's really nice. People tell me he's some sort of living something-or-other...I don't know anything about that. He certainly seems 'living' enough to me," she snickered.

"Well...I supposed if he had wanted you to know, he'd have told you," Kagome replied. "Your father met him when he first started teaching you, and he called him a 'nice old geezer,'" Kagome said exasperatedly. "'Geezer' indeed. He's far more than that...well, he's very important, Iza-chan. _Very _important. He's the archer for the _emperor_, Iza-chan. And this is a very, _very_, great honor." Kagome began fumbling about for her purse and her jacket. "Come on, Iza-chan, neither of us have anything suitable to wear, and we're going shopping _right now._"

For a teenage girl, Izayoi was surprisingly indifferent about clothing, and had no interest in clothes shopping; but she grudgingly allowed herself to be dragged downtown to a kimono shop, where her mother spent hours trying matching mother-and-daughter kimonos on herself and Izayoi. Kagome finally had to admit that she and Izayoi didn't look good in the same color, so she settled on a green and white kimono for herself and a charming maroon one for Izayoi.

The appointed day arrived, and the two of them took a taxi to Nakamura-sensei's house. Izayoi had offered to simply carry her mother there, but Kagome wouldn't hear of it: "And arrive with you sweaty and me windblown? Not on your life," she said firmly, as she phoned for the cab.

Nakamura-sensei lived at the opposite edge of town in a lovely tree-covered compound. It was a very traditional home, with a formal tea house at the back of the property. Izayoi had never seen a private tea house or tea garden except in books; fortunately, Kagome knew how to read the rope-tied stones that showed which paths were open and which were closed, and she showed Izayoi how to wash her hands and rinse her mouth at the ritual cleansing basin outside the tea house.

They had not been waiting long when Nakamura-sensei emerged from the main house. He greeted them warmly, and escorted them to the tea house. The tea house had a low door, through which each of them had to pass on their knees ("It's to show humility," Kagome whispered to Izayoi's unspoken question). The tea house was even more beautiful inside than outside; its only decoration was in an alcove which contained a lovely, simple flower arrangement, under a beautiful scroll that said simply, "Unforeseen wonders, revealed by the path's turn."

Kagome had made Izayoi read about the tea ceremony in preparation for the day, and from its description, Izayoi had thought it would be an extremely boring event. "Who wants to see somebody make a cup of tea?" she had asked. "Why can't we just drop a bag into the pot just like we do at home?" But Kagome could see that Izayoi found the actual event utterly captivating. Izayoi's eyes were very wide, and she missed not a single move, scrupulously imitating Nakamura-sensei's smooth motions when it was her turn to drink.

When the ceremony was over, Nakamura-sensei began to speak of the tea ceremony and the fighting arts. "In the ancient days of the true bushido," he said, "a man was not a true master if he was only capable with the sword or the bow. To be a true master, one had to be the master of the brush, the cup, and the flower, as well as the bow and the arrow."

Nakamura-sensei leaned forward and peered over his glasses at Kagome. "We both know that Izayoi is a ... unique child," he said intensely. "Her background, and her abilities, are most unusual in this day and age. She is the most capable student of the bow that I have ever taught, and in a very few years I will have nothing more to teach her. Which is not to say," he said, leaning towards Izayoi and speaking sternly, "that she will have nothing more to _learn_ in a few more years...just that I may run out of things that I can _teach_ her."

Nakamura-sensei cleared his throat, and continued: "But her skills with the bow will never reach their fullest if she does not explore the gentler arts, and seek the subtle, innermost reaches of her spirit. It would be my highest honor to teach her the ways of tea, of the brush, and the flower..." and he turned and said directly to Izayoi, "If, that is, you'll have me as your instructor."

"Oh, can I, Mom? Can I?" asked Izayoi breathlessly.

Kagome squirmed uncomfortably. "You're already doing so much for her," she said. "We can't possibly ask for more. And even if you did become her teacher...how could we thank you properly for such kindness?"

"How about making him lunch?" said Izayoi.

Kagome gasped at her daughter's presumption, but Nakamura-sensei laughed heartily. "My dear child," he said, wiping his eyes, "I couldn't ask for better compensation. I have made you tea; you will make me lunch. It's agreed." He leaned towards Kagome, and said, "But _Izayoi _must prepare it."

"It's agreed!" cheered Izayoi. "How about next Saturday at noon?"

"Done!" said Nakamura-sensei, and heartily shook her hand.

* * *

It was the appointed hour, noon Saturday, when Nakamura-sensei appeared at the Higurashi temple for his promised lunch. He knocked on the door of the family residence; Kagome's mother opened the door and greeted him warmly. 

"Do come in, Nakamura-sensei. Thank you so much for everything you are doing for my granddaughter and my family."

"It's nothing," Nakamura-sensei said cheerily, bowing gracefully.

"I'm sure they'll be ready for you in a few moments." Mama smiled demurely but spoke loudly, trying to cover the sounds of chaos emerging from the kitchen. Mama tried to while away some time by showing Nakamura-sensei some of the antiques on display in the living room, but it was getting harder to drown out the noises from the kitchen with casual conversation.

"Daddy!" Izayoi's voice cut through the slamming of pots and pans. "Daddy—no! That's for my teacher! Put that down!"

There was the sound of a wrist being slapped, and then Inuyasha's voice: "Aw, c'mon, I just want to taste it!"

Another slap, and Izayoi again: "No—Daddy—no! Mom! Make him stop!"

Kagome's shout put a quick end to the ruckus: "Inuyasha! Osuwari!"

There was a loud slam, and the house shook...and then silence. Kagome suddenly appeared at the kitchen door, wiping her hands on her apron. "Oh, Nakamura-sensei, you're already here! How nice to see you!"

Izayoi appeared behind her mother in the kitchen door. Her apron was covered with large unidentifiable stains, and somehow she had managed to get scallions in her hair. She smiled sheepishly and waved. "I'm making your lunch myself, just like I promised." Suddenly she noticed the mess on her apron and in her hair; she blushed a brilliant red, and disappeared back into the kitchen.

In a few minutes, Izayoi and Kagome emerged from the kitchen with a new, clean aprons and trays full of food. "Noodles! Come and get them!" Izayoi triumphantly served her teacher first, then put a bowl down before each of the rest of the family. She sat down, then watched with anticipation as Nakamura-sensei tried the first bite.

"My dear," said Nakamura-sensei, "I have dined with the emperor himself—and I can tell you, truthfully, that even the emperor himself has never before had a meal prepared with such affection."

After the meal, Nakamura-sensei sat Izayoi down next to him, and he brought out two sets of tea-ceremony implements. He performed the same ceremony that he had for Izayoi and her mother, but this time, he explained each move as he made it, and had Izayoi go through the motions with him. "You must perform every action as though it were the most important thing in the world, the most important thing you have ever done in your life; and yet, each action is humble, simple, utterly commonplace: the folding of a napkin, the pouring of water into a cup. You must use all of your senses: hear how the sound of the whisk changes, how the scent of the water changes, when the tea is ready."

Kagome watched her daughter struggling with the simple tea-ceremony implements, and she marveled at how much this moment differed from what had happened not two weeks ago in the feudal era, when the three of them had liberated a village from an evil warlord, who had been kidnapping and enslaving young women Izayoi's age from all over the countryside...

The palace was well fortified, and protected by a sizable army of large youkai. A blast from Inuyasha's sword and a volley of Kagome's and Izayoi's purifying arrows had routed the youkai army, but before Inuyasha could draw back his sword for a second strike, Izayoi had launched herself into the midst of the youkai host, her claws flashing with golden fire, her voice raised in a roar of fury so chilling that all who heard it quailed in terror. She cut a swath through the demon army and made straight for their leader, a huge oni easily five times her size. So great was his fear of Izayoi that the oni had dropped his club and cowered in terror, pleading for his life; but Izayoi granted him no mercy, rending him limb from limb with her bare hands. When Kagome and Inuyasha finally caught up with her, she was standing over the oni's body with its head in one hand, panting with exertion and rage, her face and hair wet with gore. And then Izayoi herself had led the villager's charge to storm the innermost palace, bursting into the warlord's throne room. Swinging the dead oni's head as a weapon, she flattened the palace guards in a single blow; and then she had grabbed the warlord by the throat, lifted him into the air, and snarled, "You can take your chances with me—or face the girls' parents. It's your choice."

And now, this child becoming a woman, who was in her own way a more fearsome warrior than her father, whose name alone could strike terror in the hearts of man and demon alike...was completely absorbed in the simple action of shaking droplets of water off a bamboo whisk.

Kagome's reverie was broken by her mother's gentle laughter. Just as Kagome had been watching Izayoi, Mama had been watching Kagome. Mama leaned over to Kagome and whispered with a smile, "Now you know how it feels...to watch your child do the unimaginable."'

* * *


	7. Fifteen

**The Tale of the Princess of the Crescent Moon**

* * *

Fifteen

* * *

Friday night; Izayoi and Nakamura-sensei were finishing the day's lesson. 

"You're not shooting as well as you normally do, Izayoi," said Nakamura-sensei. "Your mind is clearly elsewhere—is something bothering you?"

"No, sensei...no..." she said dejectedly, "It's just that...I don't think we can have our regular lunch tomorrow."

"Are you having one of your 'days off?' Or is something else the matter?" He looked kindly at her, and asked,"There's nothing wrong at home, is there?"

"No, no...everything's fine at home," she said, avoiding his eyes, "But...I think I'm going to be sick tomorrow, so I don't think we'll be able to have our lunch."

"_Going_ to be sick? Indeed," he said thoughtfully, peering over his glasses. "In that case, I will see you Monday, then. Do feel better, and get a good rest this weekend."

"I will...thank you, sensei," she said, blinking back tears that she hoped he wouldn't see. She handed him her bow and arrow, bowed quickly, and ran off. Rather than go to the locker room and change, she made a great leap to the rooftops of the school, and began running home.

"_Going _to be sick. Indeed," Nakamura-sensei said again to himself, as he watched her depart. His gaze fell on the moon, rising majestically over the school library; tomorrow night, it would be full.

* * *

"Well, it's _that day_ again," said Kagome resignedly, as they sat at the breakfast table. "Honestly, it seems to get worse every time. I think she's been sick twice this morning already." 

"Three times," said Inuyasha darkly. "The first was at sunrise."

"Oh dear," said Kagome worriedly. "I don't know what's wrong with her..._you've_ never been like this."

"Yeah, but I never had time to feel sorry for myself. When I was her age, I had all I could do to keep myself alive."

The phone rang; Souta answered it. He held his mouth over the receiver, and said "It's Nakamura-sensei, for Izayoi."

"Oh dear," said Kagome. "Maybe I'd better get it." She took the phone, said hello, and listened a few moments. "Please hold on; I'll ask her," she said, put down the phone, and went upstairs to Izayoi's room.

"Iza-chan," she called, knocking on the door.

"Go away," came Izayoi's muffled response.

"Iza-chan," Kagome said insistently, "It's Nakamura-sensei. He's worried about you. He says he can bring you some herbs to help you feel better."

"Nakamura-sensei? Coming _here_? And he'll see me like _this_? NO!" Izayoi screamed, and suddenly she burst through the door, her face ashen. She dashed for the bathroom, ran in, and slammed the door. Kagome winced at the unpleasant sounds she heard coming through the door, but she sighed and went downstairs to pick up the phone.

"Nakamura-sensei...she says you're very kind to make the offer, but that she's fine, and all she needs is a little rest," Kagome said cheerily, hoping that she sounded convincing. "She can get this way at this time of the month—oops! Pardon me, that doesn't mean what it sounds like," she said, blushing fiercely. "Yes, yes, thank you so much for your concern. Perhaps we'll see you next week."

Kagome put down the phone, then she looked grimly at Inuyasha. "Inuyasha," she began slowly, "I don't like the way she's been sick this morning. I don't like it at all. I hope she's not..." her voice trailed off.

"She's not what?" said Inuyasha.

"Dear, do you remember what happened to me, oh, about fifteen years ago, that made me sick a lot in the morning?" she said sweetly.

Inuyasha stared at her uncomprehendingly for a few moments, then his eyes suddenly grew very wide. "Izayoi!" he roared, and he dashed towards the stairs.

Kagome grabbed his sleeve, stopping him before he could make it out the door. "Let _me_ handle this, please?" she chided. "We need to be sensitive about this sort of thing, and well...right now, you look even less sensitive than usual." Inuyasha growled, but nodded. They went up the stairs together, and again Kagome knocked gently on Izayoi's door.

"Iza-chan...please. Your father and I need to talk to you."

"Go away! I don't want you to see me when I'm like this," Izayoi snapped.

"Izayoi Higurashi," Kagome said testily, "We've seen you every day since the moment that you were born. Whatever it is, we've already seen it. We're coming in." She turned to Inuyasha and whispered, "Remember...let _me_ handle this."

Kagome opened the door and walked in, and Inuyasha followed her. Izayoi was lying on the bed; she had wrapped herself from head to toe in her comforter, and only her tear-streaked face was showing. "Don't look at me," she said angrily. "What do you want, anyway?"

"Now, Iza-chan, you've been sick quite a lot this morning, and, well, your father and I are concerned about you," Kagome said gently. She tried to wipe the tears from her daughter's face, but Izayoi turned away from her. "You know that your father and I love you very much, and no matter what is bothering you, the three of us will get through it together. But we were wondering, darling, whether...if you...if there was any way that you might be..."

"Your mother thinks you're pregnant," blurted Inuyasha.

"_What?_" shrieked Izayoi. She sat up, letting the comforter fall away as she rose. Her long black hair was ratted and tangled, and it fell across her eyes as she whirled to face her mother. "You _can't _be serious! You know that none of the boys at school will even _talk_ to me, and the only boy that does talk to me is Shippou, and we've never..." she blushed hotly and snapped, "well, it's none of your business anyway what we've done or haven't done, but we haven't done _that, _so _no_, I'm not pregnant."

Kagome sighed. "Well, that's a relief. I'm glad we could speak about this _sensitive_ subject like mature adults," she said, looking daggers at Inuyasha. "But if..._that_ isn't your problem, Iza-chan, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? What's _wrong?_" shrieked Izayoi. She furiously pulled at her black hair. "_This_ is what's wrong! I _hate_ this! I _hate _being human! I hate how I look... I hate how it feels! I just feel so...so ugly, so..._filthy_," she cried, shaking with revulsion. "And to think that Nakamura-sensei might have come here today...to see me like this..." She blanched, and a cold sweat broke out on her forehead, and she gulped several times as she choked out, "I'd rather not talk about _that_ anymore."

"You don't think _I'm_ ugly or filthy, do you?" asked Kagome coolly.

"No, Mom...of course not! But you're different. That's the way you're supposed to be. This..." she said tugging at her hair and pulling at her ears, "This is just _wrong_."

"Now, young lady," said Kagome crossly, "I'll hear no more of this talk of ugliness. You are my beautiful black-haired princess, and I love you no matter how you look. Now, let's you and I go sit in the sun and ..."

"NO! I'm not going outside! Someone will see me! I'll get hurt!" Izayoi screamed, and she grabbed for the comforter again and swaddled herself in it.

"But Iza-chan," said Kagome soothingly, "We can go to the back garden, where I used to rock you when you were a baby. You remember how you loved that, don't you? No one will see us there."

"Yeah, and don't be so scared about getting hurt," said Inuyasha. "This era isn't like mine. It's perfectly safe if you stay at the temple. It's so safe here, one night while I was human, I even fell asleep—outside, in the back garden, in your mother's arms. And that _never_ happens in my time." He quite prudently neglected to mention that the evening in question had begun with Kagome giving him a luxurious and romantic candlelight massage...and then she had blown out the candles and surprised him with something even _more_ romantic (another activity he only pursued in human form while on the temple grounds in the modern era). "Believe me," he continued, "while you're at the temple, it's safe, and with your mother and me around, it's _really_ safe."

"No," whimpered Izayoi. "I don't want to go outside. I don't want to see anybody and I don't want anybody to see me. I just want to lie here until it's over. Please, Mommy," she moaned, "Please just go away." Her eyes filled with tears, and she turned her face to the wall.

"Alright, princess, alright...you can stay here today. But one of these days...you will have to face the world as a human. You won't be able to stay in your room the rest of your life."

"I can try," sobbed Izayoi, and she pulled the comforter tighter around her.

Kagome and Inuyasha bent over Izayoi and kissed her tenderly; Izayoi squirmed uncomfortably and repeated almost inaudibly, "Please just go away." Kagome and Inuyasha left their daughter's room silently, and quietly closed the door behind them.

"Well, that could have gone better," said Kagome as they made their way back downstairs to the breakfast table. "You've never been that much trouble as a human. Were you like that when you were her age?"

"Heck, no," said Inuyasha. "I was doing all I could to stay alive. If I had spent that much time feeling sorry for myself, I would have been killed."

"Well," she sighed heavily, "Let's hope this is just a phase. I'm sure she'll grow out of it." She put her head in her hands. "I hope."

* * *

They day before the night of the full moon was always an unpleasant day in the Higurashi household, but the day that report cards were sent home was worse.

"Izayoi! Explain these grades! I thought you said you were doing better!"

"But Mom, I thought I was!"

"Well, you're just not studying hard enough!" 

"I _am_ studying! It doesn't help! It doesn't matter how much I study, I just...don't...get it!"

Kagome stormed across the living room to Inuyasha, who was busy playing with the cat on the floor. She shoved the report card at him. "Look at these grades!"

Inuyasha barely even glanced at the report card (grades never made any sense to him, anyway). "What's it say about her archery?"

"Her archery isn't the problem," Kagome snapped. "It's an A-plus."

"And that's good," asked Inuyasha distantly, still playing with the cat.

"Yes, that's _very_ good, but..."

"Well, I could have told you _that," _said Inuyasha. She's better than you were at her age." Kagome began slowly turning red, and then purple, and she crumpled the report card angrily in her fist. "Besides, as far as I can tell," Inuyasha continued, "the rest of that stuff isn't good for anything, anyway, so..." He put down the cat and gave Izayoi a big thumbs-up. "Way to go, princess!"

"Osuwari!" Kagome snapped. The cat screamed and bolted, barely escaping being crushed as Inuyasha was hurled face-first to the floor, and the house shook at the impact. "_You're_ no help at all...as usual," she snarled. Kagome whirled angrily towards Izayoi. "Now, you listen to me, young lady! Despite what your father says, these grades are just not acceptable."

"Mom, you just don't get it!" Izayoi shouted. "I study and I study, and it doesn't make any difference. Nothing makes any sense. _I_ don't get it, and _you_ don't get it, and you just don't get ANYTHING!" Izayoi ran for the door, angry tears streaming down her face. "You just ...don't...GET IT!" she shouted again, and she ran outside, slamming the door behind her. The house shook as the door slammed; vases rattled on the shelves, and a few photos on the mantel fell forward onto the floor.

"Dear me, Kagome-chan," said Mama, who had come downstairs to see what all the commotion was about, "What with poor Inu-chan hitting the floor and poor Iza-chan slamming the door, it's a good thing I had the house earthquake-proofed years ago."

"I just don't get her," fumed Kagome. "School's not supposed to be this hard. You and I never had arguments like this when I was in school. I don't know where she gets this thick-headedness." She cocked an eyebrow at Inuyasha, who was still slowly picking himself off the floor, still spitting bits of dust and lint out of his mouth. "Well, actually, I _do_ know where she gets it," she said exasperatedly.

"Now, Kagome-chan," chided Mama gently. "You and I didn't have fights like this, but I do remember more than one report card that didn't look so good because a certain little girl was busy with...oh, 'extra-curricular activities,' shall we say?"

"But look at this," Kagome said, slapping the crumpled report card. "Even when I was in the past all the time, it was never _this_ bad."

"Oh really," said Mama quietly. "I think I may still have your old report cards somewhere... would you like to see the ones with or without the tear stains?"

To that, Kagome had no response; she just looked at the report card, then sighed again.

"Maybe I was... a little hard on her."

Inuyasha snorted. "_May_be?"

"O...su...wa...ri!" Kagome growled, and Inuyasha hit the floor again, and once again the house shook and the windows rattled.

"Now, Kagome-chan," Mama laughed quietly, resting her hands on Kagome's shoulders reassuringly. "I think Inu-chan understands your concern. But maybe Iza-chan needs to know that _you_ understand _hers_," said Mama gently.

Kagome sighed heavily. "OK, I guess we'd better go get her." She went to the door and looked outside. "Where do you think she's gone?"

"Where do you _think_? Where does she _always_ go?" muttered Inuyasha, his mouth still buried in the matting.

"Well, let's go get her, then," Kagome said. Inuyasha made a nasty hacking noise as he tried to clear the dust from his throat, and he glared angrily at Kagome. "Fine. _I'll_ go get her." She went to the door and started pulling on her coat. "I'm just glad I didn't tell Souta to put the ladder away after _last_ time..."

* * *

Izayoi's favorite "cooling off" place was on the roof of the temple behind the great crest over the entrance, a flat spot that was large enough for her to pace back and forth when she was angry, that also provided an excellent vantage point overlooking the entire complex when she needed just to stand and think. She was fuming and pacing furiously, trying to fight back the tears (and the urge to scream with rage) when she heard the quiet scraping of a ladder against the slate roof tiles, followed by the sound of Kagome's footsteps on the rungs as she cautiously made her way up the ladder to the roof. 

"What you and your father have for high places, I'll never understand," Kagome said as her head rose into view. "At least _you_ like the roof—at least it gives me somewhere flat to sit. _He_ always gets into the trees, and I'm afraid that if I try to get to him, I'm going to fall and break my neck." Kagome picked her way gingerly along the great sloping roof to Izayoi, then sat down with a sigh of relief. "When I was a girl, and I was unhappy, I sat under the Goshinboku. You should try it some time. It's very soothing...and it's a _lot_ easier to get to." Kagome took Izayoi's hand, and said quietly, "I'm sorry I yelled at you so, Iza-chan. I know it's hard for you."

Kagome sighed wisfully, and said, "Fourteen and fifteen were probably the hardest years of my life. Falling down the well...falling in love..." She sighed again. "And, to be honest with you, school was not my top priority, and my grades showed it. But once things finally calmed down and I could spend more time back here—as much as it annoyed your father—my grades finally got back to where they were supposed to be." She patted Izayoi's hand reassuringly. "Maybe we've been spending too much time in the past. Your father won't like it—_again_," she laughed, "but maybe we need to spend more time here, in the present, so you can take care of what's important."

Izayoi whirled angrily at her mother, and the golden flecks in her dark eyes flashed with fury. "Spend _more_ time here?" she shouted. "I want to spend _less_ time here! I _hate_ school! I've _always_ hated school! Don't tell me about _your_ bad grades," Izayoi growled. "I've seen your scrapbooks. I know what kind of a student you were. I've always tried to be like you...and I can't. I just can't. It doesn't matter how hard I study—it just doesn't make any difference!"

Kagome reached for her daughter, trying to comfort her, but Izayoi pulled away angrily, and furiously rubbed the tears from her eyes with her sleeve. "And I hate having to lie all the time," she shouted, "about who I am, about what I am, about what I can do! And I hate _this!_" Izayoi snatched at the kerchief that hid her ears and tore it angrily from her head, and she hurled it out into the courtyard; the cloth fluttered slowly down to the temple steps below. "_That _made me a liar on the first day I went to school, and it makes me a liar every day, and I _hate_ being a liar, and I hate that...that _thing!_ Mom,_ why_ do I have to _do_ this?"

For a moment Kagome looked her daughter squarely in the eyes; but then her face fell, and she looked away, and when she spoke, her voice was quiet, cold, and brittle. "The nurse who was the first person to see your face on the day you were born said that you were your father's daughter, and so you are," she said. "You are _his_ child, and a child of _his_ era. You belong in the past. But you are also _my_ child, and this is _my_ era, and you belong in the present, too. I wanted my daughter to have every opportunity in this world, so that if you chose to live here, you could... and you could succeed at whatever you wanted to try." Her voice broke, and she continued even more quietly, "You think that living a hanyou's life is hard... try raising a hanyou child. I did the best that I could for you, Izayoi. I'm sorry that my world, and the life I hoped that you could have in it, isn't... working out for you." Tears began slowly running down Kagome's cheeks, and she turned her face away.

"Mom," Izayoi said, softly, "I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I really am trying."

"I know," said Kagome quietly.

Izayoi rested her head on her mother's shoulder, and tears leaked quietly from her eyes. "And this world," she said softly, "...It's great, and you're a great mom, and I know how much you love me...but I just like Dad's world better. The air is cleaner, the water tastes better..._everything_ tastes better. Things are just...simpler, in his world."

"Well, you're right about the air—even my human nose can tell that much. But," Kagome said with a smile as she gently wiped the tears from her daughter's cheeks, "you've got to admit, there are some advantages to this world. Like being able to go to the store for food, instead of having to go hunting or foraging every time you want a meal. And you seem to like this era's food well enough—last night, didn't you eat an entire pizza all by yourself? Even your father doesn't eat that quickly! I was amazed," she chuckled.

"Yeah...the food here _is_ pretty good," Izayoi agreed grudgingly.

"And as much as you hate school, that's where you met Nakamura-sensei...and aren't you happy about that?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah...I guess..." Izayoi nodded glumly.

"And plumbing—don't forget plumbing," Kagome added. "Natural hot springs under the stars are lovely...but there's nothing like having your own tub that you can fill whenever you like. And, come on, bathrooms have other advantages. Squatting behind bushes hiding from Miroku gets old fast."

"Hiding from Uncle Miroku?" gasped Izayoi, blushing a brilliant pink. "But...he's always been so nice to me... Do you mean he would ... try to watch you...or _me_...?" Izayoi suddenly blanched as white as her hair, her hand flew to her mouth, and beads of cold sweat started to form on her forehead.

"No, no, no... Relax, sweetheart, nothing like that ever happened," Kagome laughed. She took out a handkerchief and gently mopped the sweat from Izayoi's brow. "Your uncle Miroku loves you very much—you know that. He'd never even think about doing anything like that... besides, he knows your father would tear him limb from limb if he did, friend or no. But don't worry, dear, even your uncle Miroku has his limits. At least, we _think_ he has his limits," she giggled. "Anyway, no, he never tried to spy on us like that. _Never_. Not once. But Sango and I always watched out for each other, just to be on the safe side. It never happened, so let's not think about that any more, OK, sweetheart?" she said kindly, gently smoothing Izayoi's ruffled hair. "But let's just say, indoor plumbing has its advantages..." Kagome smiled, "Right, Iza-chan?"

Izayoi nodded vigorously. "I never thought of it that way," she said, shuddering, "but I guess you're right."

"Don't hold it against your uncle Miroku," Kagome laughed. "I know you've heard a lot of stories about him...and all of them are probably true, especially the outrageous ones...but since his girls were born, he's become a changed man. At least, that's what we _think_." This time, both of them giggled.

Kagome and Izayoi sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the leaves in the courtyard trees blowing in a gentle breeze. Then, Kagome said, "Another plus for this era. Nothing ever tries to eat you, here in the present. Now, we came close to that point a few times...but nothing in this era has actually ever _tried_. Not like last week in the past...oh, dear, your poor father." She laughed and clapped her hands. "I'll never forget the expression on that youkai's face, when your father blasted his way out of his belly."

Izayoi giggled. "I guess Dad goes down easily...but doesn't always sit well."

"You can say _that_ again," laughed Kagome. "I don't know how many times he had to scrub himself to finally get rid of that horrible smell."

"Uh, Mom..." said Izayoi, wrinkling her nose, "He hasn't...quite...gotten the smell off yet."

"Well, there you go," said Kagome, "Sometimes there are even advantages to my feeble human sense of smell, aren't there?" They both laughed again. Izayoi hugged her mother, and Kagome smiled as she stroked Izayoi's long white hair.

They sat silently again for a few moments, but then Izayoi said saidly, "But there's one thing the past has that the present never will. Shippou," she sighed.

"Oh dear...I know what _that_ sound means," Kagome laughed. "I used to sound just like that when I was your age, when I talked about your father." She looked into the distance, and a sly smile crept across her face. "So you see, Iza-chan, I _do_ get it."

Kagome gently took her daughter by the shoulders, and said, "You have your father's ears and hair...and, it seems, the head that goes underneath them." Kagome scratched Izayoi's head playfully, and she smiled as Izayoi squirmed uncomfortably. "But you also have your father's heart—and your father _never gives up_. Ever. And neither do you." Kagome suddenly hugged Izayoi tightly, and whispered. "Never give up, Iza-chan. That's all I ask. Never give up."

"I won't, Mom. I won't ever give up. I'll try harder. I know I can. I promise," sobbed Izayoi softly, hugging her mother tightly.

"Well. Now that _that's_ settled," said Kagome brightly, "If you _promise_ me that you'll take your school books with you and do at least a _little_ studying...and that you'll be back Sunday night, in plenty of time for school on Monday... you can go to the past this weekend. By yourself. I went to the past by myself all the time when I was your age, so I guess... _every once and a while_... it's OK for you to do the same. Just try not to get involved in any...quests," she said with a smile, "And be sure that your arrows always hit what you're aiming at," she chuckled.

Izayoi squealed with delight. "_Really?_ I _can?_" Izayoi hugged Kagome enthusiastically. "Oh, I will! I promise I'll study! Thank you, Mom!"

"You're welcome, dear. Now, Iza-chan...you _will_..." Kagome said uncomfortably, "be a _good_ girl, won't you, dear? I can trust you to be..._good_...while you're visiting Shippou?"

"Oh Mom, come _on_," laughed Izayoi. "Don't worry. I know what you're trying to say. I'll be 'good.' We don't have that kind of relationship, anyway." Izayoi turned away and looked into the distance. "Even though sometimes I wish we did..." she muttered softly to herself.

"Well, _that's_ something a mother doesn't need to hear," said Kagome primly, "so let's pretend I didn't. But...I remember having exactly those same feelings when I was getting to know your father. So, my sweet little princess," Kagome smiled gently, "I _do_ get it...I really do."

"Yeah...I guess you do," said Izayoi sheepishly.

Mother and daughter smiled at each other for a few moments, then Kagome said cheerily, "Well, Iza-chan, could you get me down from here? It's getting dark, and I don't like using the ladder if I can't see where I'm going. And maybe, before we go back into the house, would you sit with me under the Goshinboku for a few minutes? Just to see what it's like?"

"Sure, Mom," Izayoi laughed. "I already know what it's like...but I'd love to sit there with you."

"And maybe...you might try the Goshinboku the next time you need to get away to think? The ground _under_ the Goshinboku," Kagome added hastily, "not the branches?"

"Whatever you say, Mom," snickered Izayoi.

"And maybe...I can tell Souta to put away the ladder?" Kagome asked hopefully.

"One step at a time, Mom," laughed Izayoi.

"One step at a time," agreed Kagome. Izayoi lifted Kagome into her arms, leaped down from the roof, and landed lightly and nimbly in the courtyard. Then, arm in arm they walked to the Goshinboku, and they smiled as they sat together under its regal canopy. And as they watched the sun set over the courtyard, Kagome softly hummed to herself the lullaby that she used to sing to the infant Izayoi when she slept in Kagome's arms under that very same tree. And the Goshinboku's leaves glowed red and gold in the light of the setting sun, and the leaves shimmered like living flame as they rustled in the gentle twilight breeze.

* * *

Izayoi's fifteenth birthday went mostly uncelebrated at school. The few girls who weren't horribly terrified of her congratulated her at lunch, but her birthday went generally unmarked; and that was (mostly) fine with her. 

Nakamura-sensei congratulated her very sweetly at their daily lesson, and promised her a something very special as a birthday present. They began the afternoon shooting as usual; but then, shortly after sundown, just before the lesson was to end, he gave her quite a shock: "Izayoi, let me see your purifying arrow."

"My what?" she said nervously, unconvincingly.

"Your purifying arrow," he said calmly. "You forget: I saw you shoot one the first day we met."

"Oh yeah," Izayoi said sheepishly.

"Your arrow was powerful, but it was clouded by anger and resentment. True power does not come from anger. To purify that which is without, you must find the purity that exists within."

Nakamura-sensei drew his bow, and the tip of the arrow suddenly burst into a beautiful, sparkling radiance, so bright that it was painful for Izayoi to look at it. He shot the arrow into the sky, where it burst like fireworks into a shower of twinkling lights that fluttered gently to earth. Izayoi caught one on her hand, but it did not burn; rather, she felt the spark suddenly kindle a gentle sweetness within her heart, as though a tiny dark corner of her soul had been purified.

"My grandmother was a miko," he explained. "Her spiritual powers flow from her, through my mother, to me. I sensed the same power in you the day we met, and in your mother as well. Now: to the lesson." He walked behind Izayoi, and said, "Draw the arrow, but do not release it. Summon the purifying fire: then close your eyes."

Izayoi drew the bow, and the arrow tip burst into purifying flame. It was nowhere near as bright as Nakamura-sensei's arrow, and she felt very small and ashamed. But Nakamura-sensei set his hands on her shoulders, and said gently, "Do not compare yourself to me. I may be further along the path than you; but it is the same path, and if you set your eyes on me, you take them off the goal. Now: close your eyes." Izayoi did so, and Nakamura-sensei continued, "Feel the calmness within that you feel when you stir the tea. The silence from which you can hear the change in the song of the whisk that tells you that the tea is ready...the stillness in which you hear the flower tell you where it must be cut...the moment before the brush touches the paper, in which you hear it tell you which way it must move. It is within that stillness that your own purity lies; and it is not the desire to vanquish your opponent, but the will to speak the truth of that purity, that is the way to true power."

Izayoi stood perfectly still, listening to some inner voice, barely breathing; and then, still holding the arrow at the ready, she relaxed, and seemed to grow ever so slightly taller. "Open your eyes," said Nakamura-sensei; and when Izayoi did, she was startled to see how brightly the purifying arrow was burning—nearly as bright as his, and even brighter than her mother's. "Clarify your intention, then let it find its target," said Nakamura-sensei. Izayoi's eyes narrowed, then opened wide; and the arrow flew straight, as though of its own accord, to the center of the target; and when the arrow struck, the target dissolved into a shower of pink and violet sparks, shimmering gently into nothingness.

"Now you see why we study the tea, the brush, the flower," said Nakamura-sensei. "It is simple to shoot the bow so that the arrow finds the target; it is difficult to look within and find the truth." He gently took Izayoi's hands in his, and said quietly, "I love my sons...but they have neither the talent, nor the sensitivity...nor the slightest interest...to follow the path I walk. But now," he smiled and squeezed her hands warmly, "Now I have a daughter, with whom I can share my most precious, my most important secrets, to whom I can give the real treasures of my family. Now, my dear child...now, the _real_ work begins."

* * *


	8. Sixteen

**The Tale of the Princess of the Crescent Moon**

* * *

Sixteen

* * *

Izayoi was helping Nakamura-sensei in his garden. Nakamura-sensei had complained that he couldn't find the proper types of bamboo to make arrows, brushes, and implements for the tea ceremony, so Izayoi brought him plants from the feudal era. She had collected enough rare and exotic plants to make his private garden the envy of any botanical garden in the world; but for the two of them, it was simply a source of raw materials and of many happy hours of quiet meditation. 

She was busily repotting the plants he used for arrow shafts when Nakamura-sensei gently tugged at her head kerchief. "You know, my dear," he said gently, "You needn't hide your true nature while you're here. Your secret's safe with me."

Izayoi blushed. She poked absently at the dirt in the pot she was filling, and said nothing.

"Remember, the bow, the cup, the brush, all speak only the truth about yourself," he said kindly. "In them, I see your courage, a valor that burns with a fire of unquenchable love; and I also see your sadness, your pain, and especially your loneliness. Times have not changed so very much, have they? The life of a hanyou has always been a lonely one, has it not?"

Izayoi was so surprised to hear her teacher use the word "hanyou" that she nearly dropped the pot she was filling. Instead, she put it down carefully, took a deep breath, and removed her kerchief. She wiggled her ears in the garden's gentle breeze, grateful to have them uncovered and free, and Nakamura-sensei nodded approvingly.

"Never be ashamed of what you are, Izayoi," Nakamura-sensei said gently, "Never. You are a child of courage and of light, and the very thing that you consider your greatest shame is, in fact, your greatest strength." He patted her kindly on the hand. "I've known what you were for a long time, Izayoi," Nakamura-sensei said, "and because today you have trusted me enough to reveal your own truth, I will trust you with mine. My grandmother was exactly what you are—the child of a hanyou and a miko."

"Really?" asked Izayoi.

"Really," smiled Nakamura-sensei. "Great-grandfather was the son of a fox youkai and a human woman. Youkai blood runs very strongly in your father, as it does in you, so much so that you are as much a hanyou as your father. But my grandmother was more human than hanyou, and the fox-youkai blood from great-grandfather ran very weakly in her, and in my mother. Still, there is a little youkai blood yet in me..." and he held out his hand, and above it there appeared a tiny blue flame.

"Fox fire!" gasped Izayoi.

"Fox fire," agreed Nakamura-sensei. He closed his hand and extinguished the flame. "That's all I inherited from great-grandfather," he said, but then he looked mischievously over his glasses at Izayoi. "But in my youth...I could have really used his shape-changing abilities." He chuckled, remembering some secret wayward days of his past; then he asked Izayoi, "Have you ever met a fox youkai?"

"Oh yes," she said. "I met him when I was only a baby."

"_Him_?" asked Nakamura-sensei, with a smile.

"Oh...yes, my...my..." Izayoi's voice trailed off, and she began poking absently at the pot of dirt again. "It's...kinda hard to explain. Shippou...he was my big brother when I was a baby, and he's been my best friend since we grew up. When I first learned to talk, I couldn't say his whole name—I called him 'Po-chan.' Sometimes, I still do." Izayoi giggled at the thought. "When I was born, I was the same size he was. He was so small, he couldn't even hold me—they had to kind of prop me up and lean me against him, and I'd suck my thumb and pull on his fur. But now," she laughed, "He's even taller than I am." She sighed, blushed, and continued, "He's handsome, he's funny, he's kind, and he understands me like nobody else does...and now...now I was hoping that he might become...something more..."

"Ah," said Nakamura-sensei knowingly. "I understand. So you too know the love of a fox youkai..." He sighed, sat back from the table, and looked into the distance. "They are such subtle and sweet beings; they are tricksters because they love life dearly, and find joy and laughter in the smallest of things. They are steadfast and valiant in battle, and steadfast and tender in love. A fox youkai is a remarkable creature...even rarer than ever, nowadays." He smiled at Izayoi, and said impishly, "I have never met him, but I am describing your...Shippou, am I not?"

Izayoi blushed, giggled, and nodded. "How did you learn so much about fox youkai?" Izayoi asked.

"Ah," said Nakamura-sensei again. He picked up his gardening scissors, took a few judicious snips from the bamboo plant he had been transplanting; then he paused, and set down his scissors.

"Her name..." he said quietly, "her name was Hinoki. Her eyes shone like the dewdrop that clings to the reed that rises above the lake; her fragrance was fresh and sweet, like the first flowering of a springtime meadow; her voice was the song of the morning dove, her laughter the sound of water joyfully trickling into a brook as the snow melts; and her breath on my cheek was a butterfly alighting on a cherry blossom. And her fur was...so soft, so very soft..." He sighed, lost in his memories; then he leaned dramatically towards Izayoi and said gravely, "And in all my years of scholarship, I have never once found in song, poem, or story, or in all the lore of the ancients...the word that properly describes the color of my father's face when I introduced her to him as my intended."

He laughed loud and long, and so did Izayoi. Nakamura-sensei rose and disappeared into the house for a few moments, and shortly returned with a pot of tea and two ceramic cups. Pouring a cup for Izayoi and himself, he said merrily, "Never before had two families been more perfectly united. They were utterly one...in their opposition to our union. My father and her father could not have disliked each other more thoroughly upon their first meeting ...but when it came time to denounce our union, you would have thought they had been friends for life." He laughed again, then sipped his tea pensively. "Hinoki and I finally resolved to disregard our families' wishes and run away together. Tradition and family be damned! We loved each other, deeply, and that was all that mattered."

"That's _so _romantic! What happened? Did you run off together?" Izayoi asked excitedly.

"After a fashion..." He laughed again, "We each told our parents that we were going on a retreat, to meditate alone in the woods; but we were hardly alone." He chuckled again. "Please forgive me: such tales are not for a young maiden's ears. But as you said, it was _very_ romantic. They were the happiest days of my life."

"So where is she now?" asked Izayoi.

"Gone...alas, long gone. We returned from our ... 'retreat,' utterly resolved to run away together; we had even chosen the date. But Hinoki wished to spend one last night with her family, to say goodbye...and that night, the monsoon struck; and she, and all her family, were washed away. So many died that night...so many were lost..." He sighed heavily, and sipped his tea slowly. "My father was surprisingly comforting, but he lost no time in arranging a 'more fit' marriage for me, someone 'more suitable for my station'...and, needless to say, someone human. And Hanako was a wonderful woman: she was warm, resourceful, and mild; a man could not ask for a more dutiful wife. In time, I do believe that we grew quite fond of one another. She bore me three strong sons, and kept a wonderful home for us all. No family could have wished for a more loving mother. She died many years ago, and I miss her still. And yet...and yet I cannot remember the color of her eyes. I looked into them as I begat my children; and they looked into mine as she breathed her last. I know they must have been brown...but in my mind's eye, I cannot see them. But I remember the color, the scent, the softness, of every last hair on Hinoki's head."

Izayoi blushed, and a tear slid down her cheek and dropped into her teacup. She did not hear Nakamura-sensei get up, but she felt his kind hand on her shoulder, and he pressed a small white handkerchief into her hand. "Do not be sad, my dear," he said comfortingly. "I have no regrets. No regrets at all! Who knows what might have happened if things had been otherwise? I might have joined her in death, washed away by the monsoon that took so many others. Or we might be yet living in the forest somewhere, and then would you and I have ever met? I think not. And now that you have heard my story, what will that mean for you and your young friend? And what adventures will your children have, and your children's children, because you and I have had this conversation?" He patted her gently on the back, then picked up her teacup. "Let me get you a fresh cup. Tears are a very poor sweetener, either of tea or of an afternoon's company." As he walked into the house, he smiled and said over his shoulder, "Just remember, when you have children of your own... 'Hinoki' is a very nice name, is it not?"

He did not see Izayoi place her hand gently on her heart, or hear her whisper softly: "I promise...I'll remember."

* * *


	9. Seventeen

**The Tale of the Princess of the Crescent Moon**

* * *

Seventeen

* * *

Another Saturday lunch with Nakamura-sensei; another review of the week's work; another new lesson. Last year, flower arranging; this year, it was calligraphy. Single characters, poems (both original and historic), words or phrases suitable to the season specifically for the tea ceremony—there seemed no end. Izayoi at times envied her classmates the simplicity of cram schools: a brutal alternative, to be sure, but at least it was a simple one. All they had to do was sit and memorize, not reach deep into their souls for inspiration while struggling with their penmanship. 

Last year's course in ikebana had covered the family home in floral arrangements of all shapes and sizes, spilling out into the temple grounds, onto the steps—anywhere a place could be found. The result, of course, was that the Higurashi temple became quickly known as one of the most beautiful places in the city, and that year they received a record number of visitors. This year promised a repeat of last year's successes, but this time with handwritten scrolls. Kagome's mother, ever the enterprising businesswoman, saw an opportunity: after a few whispered words with Nakamura-sensei, Izayoi's curriculum quickly expanded to temple charms. Izayoi learned both how to create them and how to charge them with spiritual energy, and between the charms she produced and the number of scrolls she created each week, she provided the temple with a tremendous new source of income; and again, her work generated a record number of visitors for the year. Mama Higurashi, Kagome, and Souta (who, after Grandpa's death, had taken over as temple priest) were always most effusive in their praise of Izayoi's contributions to the temple; she merely nodded graciously, asked for more tea and a pot of clean water to wash out her brushes, and reached for more paper.

It was a sparkling autumn day at the end of September. At the end of their regular lesson, Nakamura-sensei sat Izayoi down and spoke very somberly. "You, and your parents, must come to my house for a very special lesson, on October seventeenth, at four o'clock. It is perhaps the most important lesson I that will ever teach you. The lesson can only be delivered on that day: it _must_ be the seventeenth of October." Izayoi promised to be there, wondering why he was so unusually serious.

When she got home that evening, she started to mark her calendar with the date, but then her heart sank: the full moon was the evening of the seventeenth, and the day before the rising of the full moon was the day she turned human. The terror of having to leave the house and the temple grounds and to travel all the way across the city to Nakamura-sensei's house, and the shame of having him see her in her human state, struck her like a physical blow; and she collapsed on the floor in a cold sweat at the choice between facing him as a human or telling him why she did not want to see him that day.

The next day, at the end of the lesson, Nakamura-sensei sat down with Izayoi and asked her if she remembered her promise to come to his house on the appointed day. Izayoi tearfully begged to move the date, but Nakamura-sensei would not listen. "What could be so important that you could not receive the most important lesson that I will ever teach you?"

Izayoi struggled to find her voice; she couldn't bring herself to lie to her teacher, to offer the sort of excuses her mother always phoned into the school to explain her absences on such days. She stammered for a few moments, then hung her head in shame, and said almost inaudibly, "I...I just can't come that day. I just _can't. _Please, sensei, any other day...but not that day."

Nakamura-sensei rose wordlessly; he looked at her grimly, and said, "I shall not see you again until the seventeenth. If you wish to continue as my pupil, you will come to your lesson on the day that I have set. If I do not see you and your parents at my house at four o'clock on the seventeenth of October...we shall never speak again." He bowed solemnly, and walked away, leaving Izayoi still seated on the ground, weeping.

* * *

On the seventeenth of October, precisely at four o'clock, there was a knock on Nakamura-sensei's door. He opened the door, and on his front steps were Inuyasha, Kagome, and Izayoi between them; she wore a heavy cloak, and her head was shrouded in a hood. 

"I want you to realize what this means to Izayoi," Kagome said darkly. "On days like today, she has never even left her room, much less the temple compound. She has never stood under the open sun on days like today—until now."

Izayoi slowly removed her hood; cascades of beautiful black hair fell upon her shoulders. She was no longer the tall, courageous hanyou who had countless times faced death and destruction without fear; she was only a frightened little girl, her eyes wet with tears. She spoke in a choked whisper: "Sensei...I came as you asked."

Nakamura-sensei gently took Izayoi's shoulders in his hands, then he embraced her. "My dear daughter," he said, "I am so proud of you. You have shown true courage, and your true heart." He bowed deeply to Inuyasha and Kagome. "I am deeply moved by your trust. Nothing shall harm her while she is here: I give you my most solemn word. Please, come inside."

Inuyasha, ever the protective father, went in first, his ears twitching and his nose sniffing furiously. Satisfied, he nodded to Kagome and Izayoi, and they came inside. Nakamura-sensei's home was as traditional as his tea-house. It was amazingly uncluttered for a place that was absolutely crammed full of beautiful objects: scrolls, books, swords, bamboo implements of all kinds, ceramics of all descriptions, all of them clearly extremely old and extremely precious. The rooms were divided by traditional shoji screens, which also covered the windows and doors. Nakamura-sensei had thoughtfully closed every opening of the house, so that no one, even someone standing in the garden or in front of the tea-house, could see inside. He directed them to comfortable cushions on the floor, and poured everyone a cup of tea. Izayoi sipped at hers tentatively, then more eagerly; it had a subtle floral perfume, and its flavor was extremely soothing.

"As I have told you, time and again, Izayoi," Nakamura-sensei began, "In my home, we always honor the truth. You need never fear revealing your true self while you are in my home. Nor should _you_," he said kindly to Inuyasha, who glowered suspiciously, but still removed the baseball cap that had been hiding his ears. "And while you all are here, you should fear nothing. Nothing can enter this place without my permission." He pointed to something over the door; it was a charm, one of the most complex and powerful Kagome had ever seen. There were two circlets of gold, bound together in a complicated manner with a white silk ribbon, on which powerful incantations had been written in red and gold ink. And before the circlets stood a small white crystal of adamant, atop which like a candle's flame was set a tiny living gem of blue fox-fire. To Kagome's miko's senses, the charm radiated an unbelievable amount of power; she had felt its barrier when she approached the house, but it was such a gentle, benevolent energy that she had felt no fear in passing through it.

"Age does have a few benefits," chuckled Nakamura-sensei. "One of them is that the longer you live, the more interesting artifacts you come across." He walked to a shelf overflowing with ancient manuscripts, and he carefully removed two scrolls and a large book.

He unrolled the first scroll before them on the table; on it was painted a tremendous dog demon, surrounded by regal banners bearing the mark of the crescent moon.

"This is the Inu no Taisho, the leader of the dog youkai clan," he explained. "For hundreds of years he ruled; it says here that he bore three great fangs, wielding the powers of the world below, the world above, and the world between them—or in other words, this world. His reign came to an end about seven or eight hundred years ago; the scroll says he perished in battle while saving his woman and his child. At the time this was written, no other dog youkai had claimed the title of the Inu no Taisho; but according to the scroll, the title still justly belongs to the sons of the Taisho."

"Is that your father?" whispered Kagome to Inuyasha. Inuyasha merely nodded, his eyes wide with wonder; he had never seen his father, or even a painting of his father.

Nakamura-sensei carefully re-rolled the first scroll and then unrolled the second. He pointed to a picture of a beautiful woman, sitting next to a garden stream. "This is Izayoi, the Sun Princess; gentle, wise, kind, and greatly beloved of her people."

"Mom..." whispered Inuyasha. Kagome took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

Nakamura-sensei continued. "Her reign was tragically cut short by illness; she died very young. The scroll says that she had a son, whom she dearly loved, but that this child of her body was unclean, the spawn of a demon. The scroll describes a wise regent, Kaoru Konomatsu, who was named by acclamation to take over the princess's kingdom after her death."

"Konomatsu?" Inuyasha burst out. "That son of a bitch is the one who threw me out of the palace after Mom died!" Inuyasha pounded the floor with fury, shouting, "He even kept me away from her funeral! _He never even let me say goodbye to her..._" Inuyasha felt himself choking with grief and rage; he slammed his fist into the floor again, shaking the little house. In a few moments, he regained his composure, and snarled, "And I don't know anything about 'acclamation.' Everyone was terrified of him—the only way I can see anyone naming him for anything would be to save their own skins. 'Wise?' Try 'rat bastard' instead." Kagome soothingly stroked his hair; Inuyasha just growled softly, and furiously rubbed the angry tears from his eyes with the sleeve of his kimono.

"The scroll was clearly written by someone in the Konomatsu court, years after the fact," Nakamura-sensei said mildly. "But what is important here is that Kaoru Konomatsu finished what the Sun Princess had started, consolidating power and becoming one of the most powerful overlords in the region. His line held power for years, and some think that even though the names changed many times over the centuries, the current emperor of Japan is, in fact, his descendant."

Nakamura-sensei closed the scroll, then opened a large book; it too was clearly very old, but not nearly as ancient as the scrolls. It was covered thickly with text, and there were beautifully painted pictures of a great palace that Kagome thought looked very familiar. "In its earliest days, the Higurashi clan were warlords: brave but brutal," he said quietly, "but they forsook worldly conquest to seek spiritual paths, and the palace that had belonged to their god of war became a holy temple dedicated to peace and enlightenment. In time, they discovered that they could hone their spiritual powers the same way they had honed their bodies; but even as they opened the doors within themselves to spiritual power, they found that only the women could truly wield this power to its fullest. As they turned away from the world to look within themselves, the Higurashi's brutality turned to compassion, and in time they became more beloved for their kindness than they had been feared for their cruelty. But one thing never changed, and that was their courage; which to this day," he said, looking significantly at both Izayoi and Kagome, "runs deep within the women of the Higurashi clan. And so, as far back as these records go—and I think these go back even further than the ones that I have seen at your temple—the Higurashi women have wielded truly awesome spiritual might." He turned the page, and there they saw a painting of a priestess with long black hair, her bow drawn, ready to launch a glowing arrow.

He turned the page again to reveal another painting, this one showing two vast armies in violent conflict: on one side, horse-mounted samurai with swords uplifted, and on the other, legion upon legion of bow-wielding priestesses, their arrows burning with magical flame.

"When the Tokugawa Shogun unified Japan," Nakamura-sensei continued, "He sent his armies across the land to 'unite'—really, to subjugate—all the wide-ranging provinces and warlords. But they met their match with the women of the Higurashi clan. The samurai army laughed when they saw that 'mere women' had been sent to oppose them—but there was no laughter when the first volley of the priestess' arrows vaporized half of the shogun's best samurai in a single flash."

Nakamura-sensei carefully closed the book. "But you both know very well the power to which you are heir," Nakamura-sensei said gravely. "What you do not know is that although the Higurashi agreed to follow the rule of the shogun, _they never signed the treaty._ I suppose that the shogun," he chuckled, "after losing such a great portion of his army in the first engagement, was content with a verbal agreement, realizing that there was no way he could force the Higurashi to do anything they didn't want to do—a trait that I believe may still run strong in your family?" Kagome laughed, but Inuyasha laughed louder, and when Kagome noticed, she elbowed him roughly in the side.

"The point is," said Nakamura-sensei, serious again, "that by strictest interpretation of the ancient laws...this city, and most of this prefecture, was never formally made part of Japan. It still belongs to the Higurashi clan...which means," he said, looking gravely at Kagome, "that your mother is, in fact, the ruler of this whole land, and you are its princess—and you, Izayoi, in time, will inherit the leadership of the clan and the right to claim the throne."

Kagome gasped. No one in her family had ever told her about any of this. She had always wondered why the temple, a place of peace for so many lifetimes, had such a large collection of weaponry; she had always written it off to her grandfather's obsession with antiquities.

Nakamura-sensei carefully set the book and the scrolls aside; he let his glasses slide down his nose, and he peered intensely at Izayoi.

"And now, my child," he said quietly, "I shall tell you why I asked you here today, of all days. I have known about this day for a long time. No matter what happened, you always came to see me whenever I asked—except on the day before the night of the full moon. I knew that it was 'your day,' and that today, if only for a short while, you would be human."

He leaned forward now, and spoke very intently. "Izayoi, I have looked into your soul; it is a deep well indeed. You have power and compassion in equal abundance, and your courage is so great that you fear nothing. Nothing, that is," he said tapping the table, "except these few hours of humanity; and this one fear has become a terrible, crippling, lonely prison."

Nakamura-sensei reached across the table and took Izayoi's hand, holding it gently between his. "And yet, this humanity, whose limitations you so fear, is a hanyou's greatest gift. It teaches you humility, reminding you that despite your great power, you are as vulnerable as any creature that walks the earth. And from humility comes compassion, because you understand how fragile life truly is. So many things on this world are mightier than humans; and therefore, humans draw their strength from each other, protecting and supporting each other. This connection, which flows between you, and your parents, and me, and the whole human family... it runs through our very spirits, joining us to every human that ever lived, to everyone that is alive now, and to all who will ever live in the years to come. This is why human love is so deep, so profound, and so powerful—because it is not simply one being that feels this love, but the whole human race, channeling its love through each of us. It is a connection so deep that most of us have become blind to it: but as a human, if you listen to the beating of your heart and the voice of your soul, you can hear this song of love in your very blood. Oh, what youkai powers, vast and terrifying as they might be, can equal the strength and depth of the love that flows through the collective soul of the entire human race? A love that flows through you, my dear, dear child... simply because you are human."

He gently set down her hand, then straightened and folded his arms formally. "Now I have a question to ask you. It is the most important question that I shall ever ask you. The answer that you give me is the most important answer that you shall ever give anyone."

He paused a moment, then began: "You have seen what I have shown you today. Your lineage, through both your youkai and human blood, is royalty. Through your father, you are the heir both of the Inu no Taisho and your namesake, the Sun Princess; and through your mother, the heir of the Higurashi clan. Using the power within you, you could easily claim your birthright by force and take your rightful place as ruler of both youkai and men. Even the armies of the modern world would fall before you; you could even, if you wished, lay claim to the throne of Japan itself. One day, your father's sword will be yours; if it is as powerful as I sense it is, once its might is joined to yours, there would be few powers in heaven or earth who could stop you. Is this what you wish? To claim the seats of worldly power that are rightfully yours, according to the laws of both youkai and men?"

Izayoi had said not a single word since she entered her master's house. She looked at him for a long time; then she unrolled one of the scrolls and looked at the picture of Inuyasha's mother for a few moments. Then she looked through the book of the Higurashi clan; and then, she gently set both the scroll and the book aside.

Finally she spoke. "I...I don't want any of this," she said quietly. "I'm not a ruler, I'm not a lady, or a queen, or a princess... and I don't want to be. I... I just want to have Shippou, my parents, and you. I... I just want to be me."

"That," said Nakamura-sensei simply, "was the correct answer."

He rose and walked to the door that opened onto the courtyard. He slid the door open, and the rays of the setting sun poured into the room. "You are a child of light, Izayoi," he said. "Now walk unafraid into that light, and claim it. Purify yourself of the fear that holds you in bondage."

Izayoi slowly stood, and hesitatingly walked to the door. She looked back at her parents; her mother smiled, and said quietly, "Go on, Iza-chan." Izayoi took a deep breath, then she stepped out of the house and walked into the courtyard. When she reached its center, she stood in silence for a long moment; then she let fall her heavy cloak, and she reached her arms towards the sun.

The long crimson rays of the setting sun crowned Izayoi's dark head with a circlet of living fire, and the whole courtyard glowed red with a warm twilight glory. From between Izayoi's outstretched hands there was kindled a sweet, soft, rose-colored light, which gradually grew to surround and suffuse her whole body. Twinkling sparks of purifying energy hovered about her like fireflies, and she looked for all the world like a heavenly princess, arrayed in all the beauty and splendor of a faraway, magical world.

The sun finally sank below the horizon, and Izayoi turned around, a radiant and beautiful smile shining from her face; and now she stretched her arms towards the rising moon. As the full moon's gentle blue light gradually illumined the courtyard, Izayoi's hair slowly changed from midnight black to snowy white; and even as she let fade the purifying energy that surrounded her, in the moon's glow her gentle face and silken hair seemed to glow softly with a light all their own.

Kagome and Inuyasha ran out to the courtyard. "Iza-chan," said Kagome worriedly, "are you OK?"

Izayoi looked at her mother, and said, "Yes, Mom, I'm fine." She smiled at both her parents, and said with tears in her eyes, "I'm proud to be who I am... hanyou, like my father—and human, like my mother." She took her parent's hands, and placed them over her heart. "And, finally—finally," she said, smiling blissfully, "I can hear the song of my human heart... and yours, Mom...and yours, Dad."

Izayoi hugged her father tightly, and said "Daddy, I promise that I'll always be careful when I'm a human...but I'm not afraid any more."

Inuyasha warmly embraced his daughter, and Kagome put her arms around them both; and Inuyasha whispered tenderly to Izayoi, "You made the right choice...but you'll always be my little princess."

Nakamura-sensei emerged from the house smiling broadly, bearing a tray with a bottle of sake and several small cups. "I believe this occasion warrants a small celebration...with your permission, of course," he said merrily, bowing to Kagome, who nodded eagerly. He poured for everyone (even for Izayoi, and he winked mischievously at her when he poured a small mouthful into her cup), and they drank and laughed as they watched the full moon suspended majestically within the boughs of the red-leaved maples in the courtyard.

The evening drew to its close, and Izayoi bowed deeply as she said goodbye. "I can never thank you enough for what you have done for me today, and every day," she said politely.

"I merely showed you the path; it was you who was strong enough to walk it," he said, bowing solemnly.

Suddenly, she rushed to him, and hugged him tight. She whispered in his ear, "Thank you, thank you so very much...grandfather."

"My dear daughter," he said quietly, "I'm so proud of you."

* * *


	10. Eighteen

**The Tale of the Princess of the Crescent Moon **

* * *

Eighteen

* * *

Senior year was easily the best year Izayoi ever had in school. The calls and notes sent home about her behavior, which had come less often the longer she studied with Nakamura-sensei, had long since stopped arriving. And for reasons that none of the family ever discovered, and which Kagome for fear of jinxing the change never questioned, Izayoi's grades actually improved—not much, mind you, but enough so that she was no longer at the bottom of her class, and enough that her graduation from high school was no longer in question. She even made a few friends amongst the girls in her class. Her best friend was Hitomi, the girl that Izayoi had helped save from a bully when they were both in third grade. Izayoi and Hitomi spent quite a bit of after-school time together—from time to time, Hitomi even managed to drag Izayoi out to normal teenage activities like clothes shopping, much to Kagome's surprise and pleasure. And, to Kagome's endless mirth at the memory of hours of struggle to get Izayoi into the tub, Hitomi introduced Izayoi to the pleasures of the public baths, and Izayoi would often stay out late with Hitomi at the baths, laughing and chatting and forgetting the time as only young girls can.

But Izayoi never missed a lesson with Nakamura-sensei, after school or on Saturdays, for which she still prepared his lunch, every time, without fail.

The first Saturday after the new year, he shocked her with a quiet announcement: "I am afraid that I shall not be able to take lunch with you every Saturday any more. We can still meet every day after school as always, and I would be pleased to see you one Saturday a month; but unfortunately, from now on, we cannot meet each week."

"Have I done something to offend you, sensei?" Izayoi asked fearfully.

"No, no, my dear. It's just that...circumstances prevent it. In any case, soon the world, not I, will be your teacher; and you should begin preparing yourself for your new instructor." He would say no more about it; but as he bid her farewell after the day's lesson, he said quietly to Izayoi, "Please, spend your weekends with your young friend. Bring me what stories you wish to share. He certainly misses you, and I can tell that you miss him. Besides...as we both know, you can learn a lot from a fox youkai, can you not?" He patted her on the arm and walked away laughing merrily.

Winter turned into spring, and Izayoi's lessons continued. Nakamura-sensei had been teaching her _iaido_, the art of sword drawing, and she was under a tree near the school's archery range, deep in meditative practice awaiting her teacher's arrival, when Mr. Tanaka, the school's archery instructor, came looking for her. As he was walking towards her, he felt rather than heard a small twig snap under his foot. He saw Izayoi's head kerchief twitch; then, faster than his eyes could follow, she whirled and rolled; and in one smooth motion she came to her feet, drawing her sword and facing him, her dark eyes flashing a promise of certain death.

"Oh God, Higurashi, don't hurt me," whimpered Mr. Tanaka, ducking and covering his face.

Izayoi smoothly sheathed her sword and spoke politely. "Please don't be afraid, Mr. Tanaka," she said smoothly, "I'm just practicing the sword-drawing form. There's certainly nothing to be afraid of. My apologies for causing you concern." She bowed formally, but at the bottom of her bow, she raised her head and her eyes flashed angrily at him. "Never sneak up on a woman who's carrying a sword," she said darkly; but then she rose smoothly and smiled cheerily. Demurely, she crossed her arms and asked, "Now, what may I do for you?"

"Well, Higurashi," Mr. Tanaka said nervously, "I hope you still aren't upset with that little...disagreement we had when we first met a few years ago."

"Nahh," Izayoi said cheerily. "Long forgotten."

"Well...um...uh, Higurashi," Mr. Tanaka said, "You know, I watch your lessons with Nakamura-sensei from time to time, and you show real promise, you know, even if your form is, well," he laughed nervously, "a little _unconventional_...and well, the prefectural championships are coming up and, well, we could really use you on the team. With you shooting with us, we're sure to take the gold, and from there, who knows? Maybe we might even win the nationals. Can I count on you?"

"Competition is contrary to the spirit of archery," said Izayoi formally, quoting the words her teacher spoke when he retired from competition. "The true archer only contends with her own ignorance. She cares not how well she does compared to others; only how well she overcomes her own limitations. Sorry, but I don't compete." She scratched her head thoughtfully. "Besides," she mused, "It's just no fun, shooting all the time at a stationary paper target. It's just too easy." She smiled, patted Mr. Tanaka jovially on the arm, and walked away chuckling; leaving Mr. Tanaka gaping in wonder at a girl who called the competition for the national championship "too easy."

Even though she had enjoyed her senior year, the end of the school year came none too soon for Izayoi or her family. When the final report card arrived, and it was clear that Izayoi had really and truly passed her final class and would graduate from high school, Kagome had grabbed her daughter by the hand and dragged her from the family residence out to the temple, where Kagome offered very loud and enthusiastic thanks for Izayoi's final passing grades.

Izayoi's graduation was held in the same auditorium that had hosted Kagome's own graduation. Everything looked very much the same as it had so many years ago, except this time, the flower arrangements on the podium were more than exceptionally beautiful—Izayoi had created them. Hanging immediately behind the lectern, surrounded by the school flags, was another of Izayoi's creations, a large and beautiful scroll that read "vision of things unseen; profound wisdom; hidden strength," which Izayoi had created as a tribute to Nakamura-sensei and for which she had won a distinguished prefectural award (the announcement of which had shocked the entire family, who had never imagined Izayoi winning any sort of school award). Izayoi had of course invited Nakamura-sensei to the graduation ceremony, but she did not see him there. She did, though, see her family standing against the back wall near the door, with Kagome and Mama Higurashi holding Inuyasha warmly (but firmly) between them, and Souta furiously snapping pictures as always.

Inuyasha was always puzzled by human ceremony, and he understood his daughter's graduation no better than he had understood Kagome's. Mama Higurashi explained every moment of the ceremony just as patiently as she had for Kagome's graduation, laughing sweetly as always at Kagome's frustration at Inuyasha's thick-headedness and chiding Kagome just as gently for her lack of patience with him. But when Izayoi's name was announced as the winner of a special award for mastery of traditional Japanese arts, no one clapped louder than Inuyasha, and he surprised himself when he grew misty-eyed during the student's singing of their alma mater.

The family threw a wonderful party in Izayoi's honor back at the temple. During the festivities there was a knock on the door; it was a messenger, with something for Izayoi. It was another beautiful note from Nakamura-sensei, again on hand-made paper, tied with a handsome red and gold cord. "Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on your achievement," it read, "And accept my apologies for my absence; sadly, circumstances would not permit me to attend your ceremony. I could not be more proud of you if you were my own daughter. Please give my best to your lovely mother and your valiant father, and to 'him'—you know who I mean." Izayoi could almost hear him chuckle as he wrote the last line. "Your teacher and your friend, Isao Nakamura." Attached to the note was a small scroll; Izayoi unrolled it to reveal a single exquisitely calligraphed word: "Blessings."

Kagome had wanted to give Izayoi something special as a graduation gift, but she had asked for nothing but permission to go by herself to the feudal era for a month and spend some time with Shippou. "I want to get away from the city, from school, from responsibilities, and just get _away_ from it all," Izayoi said. "Besides, I miss Po-chan, and I want to spend some time with him. I need to ... talk to him."

"That's really sweet, Iza-chan," Kagome said, and she sighed happily, remembering her days alone with Inuyasha after Naraku had been defeated, when all they did was watch the clouds go by, swim, and warm themselves in the summer sun.

Izayoi continued, "And there's this great place I want to go with him, just the two of us: there's hot springs, and a lake for swimming, and plenty of fish to catch, and good water to drink, and soft grass for romantic nights under the stars, and..." She sighed. "It's _really_ beautiful, Mom—you'll have to go there with Dad sometime."

"Now, Iza-chan," she said reprovingly, tapping her fingers together nervously, "I thought you were going to stay with Sango and Miroku, just like always. Are you _sure_ you're ready to be alone with a boy, for such a long time?"

"Oh, come _on_, Mom," Izayoi laughed, "Don't give me that. Uncle Miroku told me all about you and Dad and those nights you all spent together."

Kagome turned beet red. "That pervert Miroku...don't you _dare_ believe a thing he says about me and your father." She scratched at the back of her head nervously, and continued, "We never did anything until the day we were married. But even if we had, we wouldn't have done it while _he _was around, anyway. _And _even if we had, it was none of his business."

"Yeah... it was 'none of his business,' right, Mom?" Izayoi said pointedly. "Besides, you've known Po-chan longer than I have, and you know that he's always been a perfect gentlemen on our trips together, hasn't he? Anyway...we haven't been planning 'that kind of trip,' so quit worrying." ("We haven't been _planning_ 'that kind of trip,'" she muttered to herself, "but we'll see what happens, now, won't we?")

* * *

The month went by in a flash, and at its end Izayoi came bounding out of the well house with her knapsack over her shoulder, a smile on her face, and a flower in her hair. Kagome met her at the door of the family home. 

"Hi, Mom! I'm home!" she shouted happily, dropping her knapsack and giving her mother a big hug. "Oh, I had such a wonderful time!" she said breathlessly. "Everything was so beautiful, and Po-chan and I had such fun together! He caught the biggest fish—it took both of us to get it to shore, and it tasted incredible! I took all sorts of pictures..."

"Calm down, dear," laughed Kagome. "I'll go get your father and you can tell us all about it."

"I've brought something back for Nakamura-sensei—can I bring it to him first? I'm sure I can be back in time for dinner!"

"Whatever my big girl likes—we can wait to hear about your trip for another hour or so." Kagome hefted Izayoi's knapsack with some difficulty. "Oh my," she gasped, "did _I_ pack this much when I was her age?" She stopped to regrasp the knapsack, then said, "I'll take care of this—you run along to your teacher's house." Izayoi squealed with delight, gave her mother another hug and a kiss, and raced out the door.

Kagome laughed as she lugged Izayoi's knapsack to the laundry room. "Oh, this takes me back," she said to herself, remembering long sessions in the laundry room after her own trips to the feudal era. She unzipped the knapsack and started sorting through the dirty clothes, until she came upon some soft silken material. "This seems so tiny—I wonder if she accidentally packed one of Souta's kids' underwear," she mused. She shook it out, and saw that it was a rather skimpy triangle of maroon silk on a black velvet cord, trimmed with black lace. "This _can't _belong to one of Souta's kids," she thought—then suddenly, she realized what it was, blushed, and quickly dropped it. "Izayoi's a big enough girl to do her own laundry," she muttered to herself as she hastily shoved the dirty clothes back into the knapsack.

* * *

Izayoi bounded happily towards Nakamura-sensei's house, her head awhirl with the events of the past month that she wanted to share with him. Running through fields of beautiful flowers, soaking in the luxurious hot springs, swimming in the clear blue lake, the nights that she and Shippou spent staring at the stars...she had even spent a "human day" during her time in the past, with Shippou as her only companion and protector, and it had proven to be one of the happiest days of the trip. She had awakened at sunrise as she always did on such days, but Shippou had already arisen and was waiting for her, with breakfast already prepared and a garland of sweet-smelling flowers to crown her dark-haired head. She had swum naked in the lake under the noonday sun, unashamed and unafraid; and during the afternoon, they had sat under a majestic spreading oak tree while Shippou braided tiny white flowers into her hair, singing some ridiculous song about a fickle young swain who could not choose between a white-haired and a black-haired lover. And that night, they had laid in each other's arms in the grass, watching the full moon majestically cross the sky, whispering tenderly to one another. She wanted to thank her sensei for all of this, and for giving her the courage to share her heart with her beloved. "I wonder if I should tell him that we were 'hardly alone,'" she giggled. 

She knew something was wrong when she approached the house. She did not sense the barrier of benevolent energy that normally radiated from the house; when she opened the gate and walked into the yard, she saw that the potted plants that she had brought him from the feudal era and his collection of bonsai were all sadly in need of water, and the normally pristine courtyard was unswept and neglected. She carefully watered all the plants and tidied the courtyard, and was sweeping the steps when the door to the house opened and a woman stepped out. "Oh, you must be the student I've heard so much about...it's so kind of you to come here to see to the master's yard...so kind of you..." She began to cry, and hastily closed the door to the house and ran from the yard. Izayoi called after her, but she received no answer. She finished sweeping and dutifully replaced the broom in its proper place; and since she was too shy to enter her teacher's home without an invitation, she carefully closed the garden gate and went home.

When Izayoi opened the door to the house, she found the entire family waiting for her: Kagome, Inuyasha, Mama Higurashi, even Souta and his family. "What's going on, Mom?" she asked angrily. "Sensei's house is empty, nobody's been taking care of his plants, and nobody will tell me what happened."

Kagome handed Izayoi a large envelope, bound with elaborate white and black cords. "This arrived for you a little while after you left for his house, Iza-chan, by messenger," she said gently. "Please forgive me for opening it, but it seemed so important."

Izayoi opened the envelope and read its contents. "...we regret to inform you...our living national treasure, Isao Nakamura...services to be held...our most sincere condolences..." she dropped the letter and fell to her knees, weeping bitterly. Kagome and Inuyasha went to her side and gently helped her to the couch, where for a long time she lay in her mother's arms, sobbing inconsolably.

* * *

Protocol demanded certain rites for a person of Nakamura-sensei's station, but he had prepared for his death with the same deliberation and thought with which he had lived every moment of his life, and he had left strict and detailed instructions about his funeral. The entire family including Inuyasha had been invited, but Kagome and Izayoi were to be especially honored guests, and both Izayoi and Souta had been asked to participate in the ceremony. Kagome had insisted on taking Izayoi shopping for something suitable to wear to a ceremony of such dignity and magnitude, but Izayoi had firmly (truth be told, rather snappishly) refused her mother's aid and had insisted that she would take care of it all herself. 

The day of the ceremony dawned, and the time to depart had nearly come, and Kagome was downstairs tapping her foot impatiently. "Where _is_ that girl," she muttered over and over to herself, looking nervously at the clock. "Izayoi! We're going to be late!" she shouted up the stairs.

Izayoi came padding softly down the stairs, and she quietly entered the living room. She was wearing a beautiful, midnight-black silk hakama, and a kimono of the same color. A black silk kerchief covered her ears, and it extended in a long "V" down the back of her head and nearly to the end of her long white hair, and a short black mourner's half-veil shaded her eyes.

"Mommy...do you think I look OK? Would Sensei approve?" she asked quietly, choking back a sob.

"My sweet Iza-chan," said Kagome, wiping a tear from her own eyes, "It's absolutely perfect. Shall we go?"

* * *

The ceremony was held in the civic stadium, the only place in the city large enough for the enormous crowd that was expected to attend. Souta had already gone ahead to join the other priests in preparation for the ceremony, and a limousine took Izayoi and Kagome to a special entrance reserved for honored guests. When Kagome presented their invitation to the priestess at the gate, the young woman's eyes grew very large and she bowed quite humbly to them. She motioned to one of her colleagues for assistance, then said most formally, "Mrs. Higurashi, please wait a moment and we will see you to your seat. Ms. Higurashi, will you please come with me?" Izayoi looked a little frightened, and looked with concern towards her mother; but Kagome smiled and motioned "Go on, go on," as Izayoi was very respectfully led away. 

Kagome was taken to a seat of great honor, immediately behind Nakamura-sensei's sons and their wives, all of whom greeted her most warmly. Kagome felt rather uncomfortable, being seated next to Nakamura-sensei's immediate family; although they were all genuinely welcoming, she felt rather out of place. Fortunately, she was soon spared her discomfort by the tolling of a great bell, marking the start of the ceremony.

At one end of the stadium had been erected a short platform, carpeted in white, which was surrounded by ropes and white paper flags, marking the platform as sacred space. On the platform was an altar, on which a large photo of Nakamura-sensei had been placed, and on either side of the altar were large and beautiful sprays of white flowers. In front of the altar was a low table, covered with a white cloth; and the white carpet that covered the platform extended along the full length of the field, and it was on either side of this carpet that those in attendance were seated.

The great bell tolled again, and the procession began. Two priests walked before the procession, shaking white paper whisks over the audience, blessing and purifying them (Kagome was proud to see that one of the two priests was Souta). Next came a dozen priests carrying white ceremonial banners and staves, followed by the officiating priests; and then came Nakamura-sensei's coffin, carried by six men in kimonos that bore the crest of the emperor.

And at the end of the procession, immediately behind the coffin, came Izayoi. The lower half of her face was concealed by a ceremonial white paper mask; in her left hand she carried a great black bow, and in her right, a long black ceremonial arrow, fletched with large, pure white feathers. Her long white hair and flowing black robes were so regal, and she carried the bow and arrow with such power and nobility, that by contrast the procession of priests in all their beautiful vestments seemed humble and poor indeed.

The procession ascended the platform; the coffin was placed on the low table in front of the altar. Izayoi ascended the platform last; she stopped before the altar, and knelt in a beautiful archer's bow, her arrow hand before her and her bow hand on her upraised knee. She rose, and solemnly placed the bow and the arrow in their stand to the left of the altar; then she returned to the front of the altar, knelt, and prostrated herself in a formal bow before the coffin, her long white hair and flowing hakama billowing regally about her. And her every move was so graceful, and so beautiful, and yet so tragic, that even the officiating priests, who had seen dozens of funerals and were used to maintaining their composure in the face of grief, were moved to tears.

Izayoi solemnly took her seat near the priests on the platform, immediately next to the stand that held the bow and the arrow, as a guard of honor; she sat impeccably straight, but her gaze was fixed on the floor, and she could not bear to raise her eyes, even to the picture of her teacher. Kagome could see Izayoi's shoulders shivering as she fought to contain her tears.

The ceremony was long, but beautiful; the prayers were moving and eloquent, and all the words that were spoken were noble, kind, and heartfelt. At the end of the ceremony, Izayoi rose, and again she bowed fully before the coffin of her teacher; and she retrieved the bow and the arrow from their stand, and took her place before the altar, and drew the bow. The order of the ceremony called for Izayoi to shoot an arrow into the distance, away from the assembled mourners, over the coffin and over the wall of the stadium, to symbolize the flight of Nakamura-sensei's spirit into the next world. But instead, she turned to face the audience, and aimed the arrow directly over their heads. As she drew the bow, the tip of the arrow incandesced, blazing with a mystical purifying fire, so bright that no one could bear to look upon it; and when she loosed the arrow, the light of its rising was like a second sun, soaring directly over the stadium. And when the arrow's flight reached its zenith, it exploded with an almost musical sound, transforming into a shower of thousands of tiny sparkling pink lights, which gently floated down to earth like cherry blossoms blown in a spring wind. And each person who was touched by one of those softly twinkling lights felt their spirits purified, the bitterness of their grief gently transformed into sweet remembrance.

Izayoi was not part of the procession that took the coffin from the stadium; she took the seat prepared for her next to Kagome, grabbed Kagome's hand, and just stared at the ground. Nakamura-sensei's family thanked her very warmly as they departed for the private family cremation, as did many of the dignitaries who were in attendance that day, complementing her on her beautiful archery, saying that nothing could have provided a more fitting benediction, and that her gesture was a most fitting memorial; she was unable to meet their eyes, simply bowing and choking out as best she could, "You're very kind. It was the least I could do." Kagome handled the necessary conversation, graciously acknowledging and returning their thanks, all the while holding Izayoi's hand and stroking Izayoi's hair. Izayoi remained in her seat until everyone but the clean-up staff had left the stadium; Inuyasha and Mama Higurashi, who had also been in attendance, came up to join them.

"Iza-chan," asked Kagome kindly, "are you alright?"

"Mommy," whispered Izayoi, "Did I do OK? Would Sensei have been happy?"

"Yes, Iza-chan," Kagome said lovingly, smoothing her daughter's hair, "It was perfect. No one could have done it better. He would have been...he _is_...very proud of you."

Izayoi buried her head in her mother's chest and began sobbing bitterly, the tension and grief of the day at last released in wracking, soul-sick moans. She lay weeping in her mother's arms for a long time; and then Inuyasha took her gently in his own arms and carried her home himself, leaving Kagome, Mama, and Souta to be driven home in the car that had been waiting for them.

* * *

About two weeks after the funeral, Nakamura-sensei's oldest son appeared at the temple, bringing two very large packages and what looked like a pole wrapped in black cloth. Kagome greeted him warmly at the door, but apologized that Izayoi was not home to receive him; a few days after the funeral, she had left to be with Shippou in the feudal era, and had yet to return. 

"I can't thank you and your daughter enough for what you meant to Pop," he said. "I wanted to deliver this all to you personally—Pop left it in his will for you. Pop was more than generous with us, don't get me wrong, we're all very grateful," he said blushing, holding one hand nervously behind his head, "but there's some _really _great stuff here."

"Oh, it was nothing," said Kagome. "Your father was a great man, and it was an honor to know him, and we will be forever grateful for what he did for my daughter."

The man reluctantly handed the long cloth-wrapped package to Kagome. "This," he said, "this has been an heirloom in Pop's family for generations. It's a thousand years old if it's a day. I'm ashamed to admit that we had begun fighting over who was going to get it, until we saw in his will that he had left it to your daughter."

"Oh, then we can't possibly accept it," said Kagome, trying to hand it back.

"Oh, no," he said, "it's for her. I don't even want to think about what would happen to me in the next world...or maybe even _this_ world...if Pop ever heard that I had refused his last request. Besides...if he said she deserves it, she deserves it, and that's that." He smiled, bowed, and waved goodbye as he departed.

* * *

A few days later, Izayoi emerged from the well-house, looking slightly better than she had when she departed, but she was still clearly grieving the loss of her beloved teacher. When Kagome thought the time was right, she sat Izayoi down with the packages from Nakamura-sensei and watched as she opened them. 

There were the scrolls with the pictures of Inuyasha's mother and father, and the book with the history of the Higurashi clan (plus several more that he had not shown them that day). There were tea-ceremony implements, and the bowls that Izayoi had especially liked to use when she was learning the ceremony, and several scrolls and flower vases for the formal alcove display; there were cakes of fragrant ink and brushes, several of which Nakamura-sensei had made out of the bamboo that Izayoi had brought him from the feudal era, including one that he had made out of Izayoi's own hair ("I was wondering why he asked for it," she laughed as she opened that package) and one that he had made out of his own hair—which Izayoi gently drew to her heart and kissed before she put it down. And there were ceramics and vases of all kinds for flower arranging, and his favorite pruning tools; and there was a collection of mysterious charms and other holy objects, and some short swords, all of which looked so old and had such powerful auras, that nobody really wanted to handle them; they were carefully put aside for later. Nakamura-sensei had even remembered Inuyasha—there was a sharpening stone for Tessaiga, plus a new black baseball cap with "Iza-chan's Dad" written in gold across its front, in Nakamura-sensei's graceful hand.

And then there were arrows of every description: elegant ceremonial arrows, well-worn practice arrows, arrows that Nakamura-sensei had made from the bamboo that Izayoi had brought him, and quite a large number of miko's arrows, with beautiful and deadly heads and strong, sleek feathers. There was also a quiver of arrows that had been sealed with an elaborate charm; none of the family except Izayoi could even handle the quiver or the arrows, and Kagome described their aura in hushed, respectful tones.

Finally, Izayoi unwrapped the long, cylindrical object that Nakamura-sensei's son had said was so old. It was the black bow that Izayoi had carried in the funeral ceremony. At the ceremony, she had been in such shock that she had paid no real attention to it; but now that she was able to truly see it, she was struck speechless by its beauty. It was made of rare black bamboo, and Izayoi vaguely remembered Nakamura-sensei telling her some stories about it—how his family had owned it for generations, and although over the years various members of the family had tried to use it time after time, no one had ever done so, because it was too big and too hard for any of them to pull. She strung the bow and pulled it—and the bow fit her like it had been made for her. She noticed some marking right above the handgrip, but it had been discolored by age and disuse and was very hard to see, even with her youkai vision. She buffed it carefully, and saw that a single character had been inlaid in gold into the wood, so masterfully that it looked as though it had been simply written with a brush. Right at the spot on which the archer's vision would fall when he was aiming the bow was written a single word: "Truth."

"My, Iza-chan, what a treasure Nakamura-sensei has left us—and you," Kagome said. "What will we do with all of it?"

"Obviously, the scrolls belong to dad, and the books and a lot of the other stuff are for you and the temple," Izayoi said. "The tea-ware, the ceramics, and most of the brushes will all have to stay here, of course, but as for the bow and the arrows: I have an idea."

* * *


	11. New Beginnings

**The Tale of the Princess of the Crescent Moon**

* * *

New Beginnings

* * *

The sunrise shone redly on the hills as they climbed out of the bone-eater's well, and they breathed deeply of the fresh fragrance of the feudal era as they crawled out of the well and stretched their legs. 

"Well..." said Kagome, "Here we are." There was a long silence; then she laughed. "Oh, why am I moping like this? Obviously, this isn't 'goodbye,' and you'll be coming back home all the time, I'm sure." Kagome held out her arms and smiled warmly, and Izayoi lovingly embraced her, and then embraced Inuyasha.

There was a rustle in the thicket, and out of the forest stepped Shippou, who had never before looked so tall and proud as he did today; a broad smile was on his handsome face, and his arms were outstretched in welcome. He ran to embrace Izayoi, then did the same for Kagome and Inuyasha. Izayoi put her arm around Shippou's waist and rested her head on his shoulder, then she said to her mother, "Oh, I'll be back, all right. You won't get rid of me _that _easily. Just keep Souta's kids out of my stuff—if I come back and find a single cup broken or a brush with a single bristle out of place, they'll be sorry they were ever born." She laughed, then looked at Shippou and continued, "But 'coming home'...I don't know about that. This may be home, now. Or maybe both places are home. We'll see."

"We'll see," agreed Shippou.

"Well, goodbye, Mom! Goodbye, Dad! I'll come see you soon!" said Izayoi gaily. She turned to Shippou and asked, "You want to carry me, or should I carry you?"

"It's been a while," he said. "This time, you carry me."

Shippou shouldered Izayoi's knapsack and her bow. He hopped onto Izayoi's back, and they both waved at Inuyasha and Kagome; then, in a flash, Izayoi bounded away, and the last thing that Kagome and Inuyasha saw was the beautiful smile on their daughter's face as she raced out of sight.

"Goodbye, my little princess," said Inuyasha, so softly that Kagome barely heard him.

Kagome sighed heavily, and took Inuyasha's hand in hers. "Well, I guess this is it...Now I know how my mother felt when I jumped into the well on our wedding day." Inuyasha tenderly drew her head to his shoulder and kissed her forehead.

"Well, let's go," Kagome said, and she hopped on Inuyasha's back and pointed off into the distance. "That way."

"Huh?" said Inuyasha. "Don't you want to go back to your time?"

"No. Why would I want to do that?" said Kagome. "I want to go that way."

"Why?" said Inuyasha. "The village is in the other direction. The Goshinboku is over there. We never go that way."

"That's why I want to go that way," said Kagome. She suddenly gave a whoop of glee and playfully kicked Inuyasha in the ribs. "C'mon, Inuyasha! Adventure awaits! Let's go!"

"They always say that having kids changes you," Inuyasha, shaking his head. "I didn't know it changed you _into_ one." But then he smiled devilishly, and said, "You're right. We never _have _gone in that direction!"

Inuyasha shouted, "Let's go!" and he bounded away with his beloved on his back, a smile on his face, and the wind in his hair: racing boldly into the rising sun.

* * *


	12. Epilogue

**The Tale of the Princess of the Crescent Moon**

* * *

Epilogue

* * *

"Hurry up, Mom! Everyone's waiting for you!" 

Hinoki leaned against the door of the well-house, her arms crossed. She casually flipped her long auburn hair out of her eyes and smiled mischievously. "What's the matter, Mom—your age finally catching up with you?"

"Watch your mouth, young lady," came Izayoi's voice from the bottom of the well. There was a rush and a flutter, the sound of a kimono in the wind, as Izayoi leaped upwards from the bottom of the well. She soared gracefully over the lip of the well and landed softly next to her daughter. "I'm going to remind you of that crack, the day that I see the first wrinkle or gray hair on _you,_" Izayoi said as she straightened her kimono and adusted the swords at her belt. "Wait a minute," she said, reaching for Hinoki's tail, "Why...I think I _do_ see a gray hair...right here..."

"Mo-THER!" laughed Hinoki, slapping playfully at Izayoi's hand. "C'mon! The party's probably already started."

They left the well-house and headed across the vast temple courtyard. They were barely halfway across when they were met by a stately, kind-faced matron in a gray hakama, and a young girl with long black hair, in a school uniform. The little girl ran headlong towards Izayoi and smothered her with a huge bear hug.

"Mommy!" the little girl squealed happily. "I missed you so much! We've all been waiting for you!" She waved merrily to Hinoki. "Hiya, sis!" Then she tugged at Izayoi's kimono, her golden eyes shining with pride. "I got another A yesterday—wanna see my test?"

"Of course I do, Kagome-chan," Izayoi said. "I don't think all of my high-school tests _combined_ would equal even one of your A's—I'm very proud of you." She took her daughter's hand and continued across the courtyard. "So," Izayoi said, turning to the older woman, "I hope she hasn't been any trouble, Aunt Haruko?"

"None at all," said Aunt Haruko, playfully mussing little Kagome's hair. "She's a perfect angel. Not like _some_ I could mention," she said, looking meaningfully towards Hinoki. "Honestly, though, things just haven't been the same since Hinoki graduated and went back to the past...thank goodness," she laughed heartily. "I was chasing boys off the temple grounds all hours of the day and night."

"Oh _really,_" said Izayoi, raising an eyebrow. "I never heard about any of _this._"

"There's a _lot_ you never heard about, Mom," laughed Hinoki, twitching her tail haughtily. "Or that you'll _ever_ hear about...right?" She looked significantly at little Kagome, who giggled and made a "my lips are zippered shut" motion.

"Well, at least I won't have to worry about that sort of thing with my dear little Kagome," Aunt Haruko said, with obvious pride.

"Of course not, Auntie Haruko," little Kagome piped cheerily. Then she whispered conspiratorially to Hinoki, "I learned a _lot_ from your mistakes."

"It won't be long now before we'll be sending more of your little ones to school, will it?" said Aunt Haruko.

"Not long at all...Hyoko next fall, then the twins, and Midori a year after that," said Izayoi. "Although we may want to wait another year with Hyoko. He's still not very good at shape changing, and I'd like to see him improve before we turn him loose on the world. I had enough problems in school with my ears—I don't know what kind of trouble he'll get into with a tail. If he's anything like his father...and he is," she laughed, "he'll get into plenty of trouble on his own."

"Oh, I don't know," said Hinoki, swishing her tail suggestively. "It was never that big a problem for me."

"Hel-LO-oh, Hyoko's a BO-oy," sang out little Kagome. "He won't be using his tail to convince other boys to carry his books for him."

"And you use that tail of yours too much, young lady," said Aunt Haruko. "You're going to get yourself in trouble if you're not careful."

"Don't worry, Aunt Haruko," laughed Hinoki. "The only boy who wouldn't take 'no' for an answer got a lap full of fox fire—and it was the best thing that could have happened to him. The girls tell me that he's become quite the perfect gentleman."

"Mom—how come Hana doesn't have to go to school like Hinoki and I did?" asked little Kagome.

Izayoi ruffled the child's hair fondly, and said "I promised your Grandma Kagome that the children who could go through the well by themselves would go to school; but Hana can't, so she stays in our time. But she works as hard as you do, and maybe harder, because _I'm_ her teacher." Izayoi knelt down, looked her daughter squarely in the eye, and asked coolly, "You know what sort of lessons I give Hana—would you rather have those, or go to school like you do now?"

Without a second's hesisation, little Kagome sang out cheerily, "I love school, I love school, school is fun, I love school!" and she danced merrily around her mother.

"I thought so," said Izayoi, smiling wisely. She rose and turned to Haruko, and said, "You've been so kind to take such care of my children like this, to help them through their schooling—are you _sure _that it isn't an imposition?"

Haruko shook her head and smiled. "It's nothing. It's my pleasure. This temple belongs to you as much as it does to me, and it's home for your little ones the same way it's home for mine. Besides, it's what Papa would have wanted. Papa loved you as much as he loved us, and he dearly loved little Hinoki. She was so cute when she was little!" She laughed merrily, and gave Hinoki a hug (much to Hinoki's visible embarassment). "I remember how happy she made Papa...sitting on his lap, climbing onto his shoulder, trying out her little fox magic. He loved her as much as any of his own grandchildren, and she brought him such joy in his last years. And you were always such a good big sister to my brothers and me...and I knew that you didn't really want to be bothered with little kids like us, but you took care of us anyway. And it was you who helped me find the courage to follow my dream, and become the temple priest." Haruko sighed heavily. "Papa was so proud the day he handed the temple over to me. He was so very proud..." She sighed again; but then she shook off her gloom, and smiled, and said, "And besides...this old courtyard can be so cold and empty; it really isn't complete without the voices of children."

Their passage across the courtyard brought them to the foot of the Goshinboku. As always, Izayoi stopped before the family shrine. The names of Izayoi's grandmother and grandfather Higurashi, and of her own mother and father, had already begun fading slightly with the passing of years; the names of Souta and his wife Hitomi were still crisp and dark, carved in sharp relief on the gray granite shrine.

Izayoi smiled warmly as she touched the trunk of the great tree, and she looked lovingly into its spreading branches. She turned to Aunt Haruko, who was standing next to the shrine, staring sadly at the names. "Haruko-chan...you really miss Uncle Souta and Aunt Hitomi, don't you?"

"Yes...I miss them very much," she said, sighing. "I had just come to peace with Mama's passing, and then Papa left us...I know that it was his wish to have his ashes scattered here, with your mother's, and with his mother's and father's, and with my mother's," she said sadly, "But somehow, that just makes it worse, having them right here, so close...but so far away." She paused a moment, then said softly, "You know, you may think I'm crazy...but sometimes I think I can hear his voice coming from the leaves, when the wind is blowing."

Izayoi placed her arm gently around Haruko's shoulders, and looked deeply into her eyes. "You're not crazy," she said quietly. "It's the Higurashi gift—to see beyond the veil of the physical world. Uncle Souta's and Aunt Hitomi's spirits are here right now, watching over you and your children, the same way my mother and dad are together, watching over me and my children...and Grandma and Grandpa Higurashi watch over us all." Izayoi gently led Haruko up to the trunk of the tree and, taking Haruko's hand in her own, she laid Haruko's palm against the trunk. "Listen to the song in the wind, and the song in your heart...and you'll know that it's true."

The women stood in silence together for a few moments; and the leaves of the Goshinboku rustled in an unfelt breeze, the soft shimmering sounds of the leaves speaking gentle words to the stillness of their hearts. With a deep sigh, Haruko stepped back; a beautiful smile lit her face, and tears of joy leaked quietly from her eyes. "Yes, Iza-chan...yes. I can hear them clearly now...and everything is going to be just fine." Haruko threw her arms around Izayoi, and said, "Thank you...thank you so very much." The two girls, Hinoki and Kagome, joined their mother, embracing and comforting their aunt Haruko; and after a few moments, Haruko straightened up, dried her eyes, and said merrily, "Well! This is hardly what Iza-chan came all this way to do...let's get to the party!"

"Hooray!" shouted little Kagome, and she took her Aunt Haruko by the hand and skipped merrily off towards the house. Izayoi smiled and followed them...after turning to the Goshinboku and saying quietly, "Thanks, Mom...and I love you too."

* * *

"Happy birthday, Grandma Izayoi!" all the children shouted when Izayoi arrived at the family home. 

"How many times have I told you little brats _not_ to call me that?" growled Izayoi, shaking her fist and glowering in mock rage. "Do you know how many people I've _killed_ for calling me that?"

"Happy birthday, _AUNTIE_ Izayoi!" said Haruko, smiling broadly, and the children chimed in again, "Happy birthday!"

"That's better," groused Izayoi. "I'll let you all live another year...but that was my _last _warning!"

"Happy birthday, Mom!" said Hinoki and Kagome, as they brought out trays piled high with sweets.

It was a lovely party. Everyone had more than they could possibly eat, and Haruko's children (some of whom had been studying calligraphy with Izayoi) presented her with a lovely scroll that read "We love you, Auntie Izayoi," which everyone, even the smallest children, had signed. Finally, Haruko brought out a very large package that had been elaborately sealed with a wide ribbon, across which was written in large letters, "For Izayoi on her 100th birthday." Below the large inscription was written a small note: a smiling face and the words "No peeking!" in Nakamura-sensei's neat script.

"This arrived for you, not too long after you moved out and returned to the past," said Haruko. "There were strict instructions with it that we should keep it secret until today. Your mom and dad left it to my father, and he left it to me...and now, here it is, for you at last. Happy birthday!"

Izayoi unsealed the package, and from it she withdrew a very large and heavy book; she opened it and began leafing through it. On each left page was affixed a fragment of an ancient scroll, and on each right page, Nakamura-sensei—always the consummate teacher—had written a translation and commentary, explaining the ancient script and the paintings on the preceding page. The scroll fragments were very old and in quite poor shape, and the book had clearly been made to preserve them as well as to explain them; and everything had been done with the same exquisite care with which Nakamura-sensei did everything.

Izayoi read through the book in silence; when she reached its end, she pushed herself back from the table. "I don't know whether to laugh or cry," she said, chuckling dryly. "That old...he knew everything. He knew everything, all along." Without saying another word she rose and walked to the window, and in silence she looked out onto the courtyard, from time to time rubbing her eyes on her sleeve.

"Iza-chan," said Haruko. "What's wrong?"

Izayoi said nothing. Hinoki walked to her mother's chair, picked up the book, and quickly skimmed several of the pages; then she turned the book around and began showing it, page by page, to the others.

On the scroll fragment affixed to the first page was a picture of the Inu no Taisho, Inuyasha's great youkai father. Underneath that were two smaller figures: a white-haired hanyou with a huge sword, and a long-haired miko drawing a bow. And underneath the two of them was another large and fearsome dog, its mouth open in a horrible roar; and next to it was a small brown figure, hurling balls of blue flame. Hinoki read from Nakamura-sensei's summary:

"The scroll shows the Inu no Taisho, greatest of all the dog youkai to ever walk the earth. Like his father, his hanyou son took a human to wife. But the child of this union was heir to power beyond that of her parents, or even of her mighty grandfather. So great was her strength and valor that the leaders of the dog clan came to her, and begged her to take her grandfather's place and return their clan to greatness, calling her Inu no Hime, the Princess of the Dogs. But she refused them, saying that the only mastery she wished was the mastery of her own destiny. She had no desire for power, or majesty, or dominion; but she willingly lent her strength to aid the weak, the lost, and the oppressed. So mighty were her deeds that she became known across the land as Izayoi the Great, the Protector of the Weak, and the Princess of the Crescent Moon, after the sign of the moon that was the sigil of her grandfather's house; but all who truly knew her simply called her by name. And she and her fox-youkai companion fought many great battles, and together they rid the land of evils beyond number."

Hinoki quickly leafed through several more pages, which depicted Izayoi in tremendous battles, wielding great swords of power, a bow with flaming arrows, or golden fire that flowed from her claws. Beside her was always painted a small figure: a valiant fox youkai, his magical weapons brightly ablaze with blue fox fire; his deeds less mighty than hers, perhaps, but no less brave, and there was no depiction of Izayoi that did not also show him fighting at her side. But Hinoki stopped at a very different picture: a regal Izayoi in a red kimono standing next to a proud and noble fox youkai in a cheery blue and yellow vest; but now, their swords were sheathed. In this picture, they were not on a battlefield, dealing death to legions of youkai, but were standing in a beautiful garden on a hill, overlooking a peaceful stream. They were surrounded by happy children, all of whom had long hair, some fox-tawny, some white; some had canine ears, some had fox tails, and some had both. One child, who was holding the smallest child in her arms like a doll, was human to all outward appearances, and was the only one with black hair; but the gold of her eyes had apparently so impressed the scroll's creator that he had depicted them with real gold foil, which shone warmly out of the image's fading colors.

"Hey...that's _me!_" said little Kagome, tugging at Aunt Haruko's sleeve and pointing excitedly.

Hinoki continued: "And when all the land had been purified of many great evils, they left the fields of battle and dwelt in the Valley of the Shrine of the Sword; and the sweet sounds of children's laughter rang throughout that blessed land."

Hinoki turned a few more pages, then stopped. "The last page is damaged," she said quietly, "the notes say that it is illegible, and that the end of the story is unknown." There was a small piece of folded paper resting between the pages; it was a note, addressed to Izayoi. "Mom...I think this is for you...Mom?"

Izayoi returned from the window by which she had been standing, her expression still dark and unreadable. She opened the note, and read it silently; then she laughed. "It's OK...everything's OK," she said happily, carefully refolding the note and stuffing it into her kimono. "Haruko-chan, this has been just a lovely party, and I thank you so very much for it...but I'm afraid we have to go. I need to get the girls back to my time. Hinoki's going to be in charge of the kids, so their father and I can get away and have a little celebration on our own." Izayoi held out her arms, and Kagome and Hinoki each took one of her hands. "Go ahead and keep the big book for a while. You've been so good to keep it this long—you deserve a chance to enjoy it. Let the kids look through it—_carefully_," she said sternly but with a smile. "I've got everything I need from it, for the moment."

Haruko and her children saw Izayoi and the girls off at the well-house, waving and cheering as Izayoi and her daughters jumped into the well. And as she sailed through the time stream on the way back to the past, Izayoi laughed to herself as she remembered Nakamura-sensei's note:

"Please forgive an old man's love of the theatrical, but it is quite true: the scroll was indeed damaged, and I do not know the end of the story. But then again, nor should you, as is only fitting: for who could enjoy a story as it unfolds, if they already know the ending? But I am sure that for you, and 'him,' and your beautiful children...the story is only beginning. Live well, my dear daughter. Your teacher and friend, Isao Nakamura."

And it was just as Nakamura-sensei had forseen, so many years ago: that the scrolls had told only the beginning of the story; and the adventures of Izayoi, Shippou, and their children went on, and on, and on; and if anyone could be said to do so, they did indeed live happily ever after.

But then again: that, as they say, is _another_ story.


End file.
